To say that the 2023 season has been one-sided in favor of Red Bull would be an understatement. Max Verstappen cruised to his third consecutive world championship victory after his P2 finish in the sprint in Qatar last Saturday. Now, there are multiple teams who are looking to dethrone the Dutchman come next year. However, according to Carlos Sainz, as reported by GP Fans, only his team – Ferrari – has a real chance of doing so.
Verstappen and Red Bull were the fastest from the very get-go this year. A very brief resistance from teammate Sergio Perez put some doubt in the 26-year-old’s camp. Still, that turned out to be futile, as Verstappen became a champion with five races to spare. A major reason behind his success has also been the RB-19, billed by many as the best F1 race car of all time.
In fact, Red Bull have been so dominant that they have won all races this season barring one. That one race (Singapore) saw Carlos Sainz emerge victorious. Now Sainz, who is flying high in the second half of the campaign, is confident about his and Ferrari’s chances in competing against the Milton-Keynes-based outfit in 2024.
Ferrari the team to beat Red Bull, says Carlos Sainz
Sainz drove what was arguably his best ever race, last month in Singapore. He had a perfect weekend, taking the pole position and holding on to take his second-ever win too. However, as predicted by experts, it was a one-off weekend. The very next race saw Max Verstappen resume with his dominance.
However, the Madrid-born driver is bullish about Ferrari’s chances in 2024. As reported by GP fans, Sainz believes that if any team can beat Red Bull in 2024, that team has to be the one hailing from Maranello.
“I think that if you look at the last two years, the only ones who have been able to stand up to Red Bull a little have been the Ferrari,” Sainz said to the Spanish press. “In the first half of last year and now with the victory in Singapore and the podium in Monza.”
Sainz’s comments, however, could come off as a little bit ill-timed, especially because of his former team McLaren’s resurgence.
Sainz overlooks McLaren and their resurgence
Ferrari may not be a top team at the moment, like nine others in F1. However, they were always comfortably towards the front of the midfield, which later turned into podium charges. McLaren meanwhile, started on a horrible note as both their drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, failed to get into the points in the initial stages.
Now, they are arguably the best team behind Red Bull on the grid. They got a double podium finish in Japan and followed it up with yet another one in Lusail last weekend.
While Sainz believes that Ferrari is the only hope when it comes to ending Red Bull’s dominance, an eye has to be kept out for the team from Woking, who are making tremendous strides.
