Ferrari Boss Shoots Warning to Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc Ahead of Bahrain GP

After disappointment in the 2022 season, Ferrari is aiming to bounce back strong in 2023. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will both aim to compete for the world title this season, with expectations from their new challenger, the SF-23, already high.

All the drivers in F1 including Sainz and Leclerc are now headed to Bahrain, where they will take part in three days of pre-season testing in Sakhir. This test is important because the drivers get a feel of the new cars and talk to their teams about areas they can improve in.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, however, has a grim message for his drivers in case they come up with a problem. The Frenchman insists that if there is a problem with the car, Sainz and Leclerc will have to deal with it since they won’t have time to work on it before the first Grand Prix of the year.

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Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have to deal with problems in Bahrain

In an interview with AMuS, Vasseur spoke about the possibility of them encountering problems during the test in Bahrain. He drew reference to McLaren’s problems with the brakes in Sakhir last year, which hampered their performance in the opening rounds.

He said that if Sainz or Leclerc find problems with the SF-23, they won’t have enough time to fix those issues before the opening Grand Prix in Bahrain. This is because the gap between testing and the first race of the season is just a week, and they won’t be traveling back to the factories.

First laps for SF-23 pic.twitter.com/yMyF9RtJw5

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 14, 2023

“If someone has a big problem in testing, like McLaren did last year, they won’t be able to fix it before the Bahrain Grand Prix,” the 54-year-old said.

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Sainz hoping to take championship fight to teammate Leclerc

When Sainz joined Ferrari in 2021, not many people bet on him to match Leclerc. However, his consistency in his debut year led to him taking five podiums and also finish ahead of his teammate in the standings.

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— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 21, 2023

This consistency, however, was not visible in 2022. The Spaniard struggled immensely to get to speed with the F1-75, which was the first car in his career that was capable of fighting for wins on a regular basis. He did have notable moments last year, including his maiden F1 win at Silverstone, but the 28-year-old wants more.

Sainz is hoping for more consistency heading into the 2023 season, as he aims to take the championship fight to teammate Leclerc, and any other potential challenger.