“You Have to Work Hard for Victories”- Carlos Sainz Makes Brutal Assessment on Disastrous Start to 2023 Season

After their disappointing end to the 2022 season, Ferrari fans were expecting the team to bounce back much stronger in 2023. Unfortunately, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have had a woeful start to the year, with Ferrari collecting just 26 points after three races, out of which 20 belong to Sainz.

In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Sainz makes a brutal assessment of Ferrari’s season up until now, and how they can improve. Sainz feels that the changes should begin by working hard at the factory back in Maranello, so they can close the gap to Red Bull and fight for wins and podiums.

To all our Tifosi out there, thank you for your unconditional support. I know we are not where we want to be, but we are Scuderia Ferrari and I’m confident we can turn things around, together, pushing forward and never giving up. Forza Ferrari!! 🙌🏼🏎

— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) March 22, 2023

Sainz admits that the entire team was taken aback by the progress made by Mercedes and Aston Martin over the winter break. Talking about Red Bull, the Spaniard always knew they would be strong, but didn’t quite fathom this level of dominance they are showing so far.

Fighting for just points hasn’t been easy, says Carlos Sainz

Last season, when Sainz and Leclerc approached race weekends, their target was to win on Sunday or fight for podium places at the very least. This year, the fact that they are lacking behind Aston Martin in terms of performance means that they aren’t in direct contention for the top three so far.

Sainz admits that this has not been easy, especially because they are still approaching weekends with the same mindset. However, not having the right means to achieve what they set their mind to is frustrating for the entire team.

“The truth is that it has not been an easy start to the season,” Sainz says. “Everyone at Ferrari expected much more; after having been fighting for pole positions and wins last year, I think we have gone to the races with that intention.”

Sainz outlines his goals for rest of 2023

So far, Ferrari haven’t been on the podium even once so Sainz’s immediate plan is to change that. The Madrid-born driver wants to start with securing top three finishes and win races very soon. He acknowledges the fact that Red Bull are a step ahead and that catching them will be incredibly difficult.

pic.twitter.com/vFfo8g4cfR

— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) April 18, 2023

Even if they can’t win the championship, Sainz feels that as long as they ‘mathematically’ stand a chance of winning, they should enter every single race weekend with the sole focus of winning.