Carlos Sainz struggled immensely throughout the entire Azerbaijan GP weekend. His teammate Charles Leclerc, who had a slower start to the season compared to him, managed to bounce back, getting the position and also earning his first podium finish of the season. Sainz, meanwhile, started the race from P4 and finished P5.
After the race, Sainz acknowledged the fact that he wasn’t up to the mark in terms of performance in Baku. He didn’t feel comfortable with the car from the very get-go in FP1, all the way to the Grand Prix on Sunday. As soon as the race was over, his engineer Riccardo Adami consoled him by saying, “Good job for the fight.”
Sainz, who was in no mood for consolation, immediately apologized to his team for not living up to Leclerc’s level. “Sorry for being so slow the whole weekend,” Sainz said on the team radio, as pointed out by Ferrari News on Twitter.
Ferrari boss hasn’t lost faith in Carlos Sainz
The 2023 season isn’t going according to the plan for Ferrari, and Sainz is yet to stand on the podium this year. After a three-week break, a rejuvenated Sainz was hoping to get back in the top three. Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to find the pace this weekend.
Despite his poor showing in Azerbaijan, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur praised him for his P5 finish under difficult circumstances. After losing his position to compatriot Fernando Alonso, Sainz was under pressure from seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton for a large amount of time but didn’t lose his cool.
In an interview with Sky Sports F1, Vasseur admitted that Sainz was struggling since Friday. Playing catch up to Leclerc didn’t help him with his confidence, something he failed to regain as the weekend progressed.
Sprint weekend affected Sainz, says Vasseur
Not a lot of drivers have praised the new sprint format, which features just one practice session of 60 minutes to get used to the track and the car. The likes of Max Verstappen and Alex Albon have openly criticized the format, with Verstappen being particularly vocal about his dislike towards it.
Vasseur feels that Sainz not getting enough time to practice and get used to the setup affected his entire weekend. The Frenchman added that he was happy with Sainz’s P5 result, taking everything into account.
“In Baku, it’s hard to drive without confidence,” Sainz said. “Also this format does not allow you to have time. I’m satisfied with his 5th place.”
