Ferrari's Hidden Struggles: Why Sainz Believes Rivals Are Still a Step Ahead After Austria Podium
In the fiercely competitive arena of the 2024 Formula 1 season, Carlos Sainz has revealed that, despite Ferrari's most recent podium finish at the Austrian Grand Prix, their main rivals still hold a distinct advantage. Sainz capitalized on a late-race clash between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris to secure a third-place finish at the Red Bull Ring, marking his fifth top-three result of the season.
Starting strong, Sainz briefly lost position to Lewis Hamilton, only to regain it as the Briton was advised to relinquish his spot to avoid potential penalties for going wide at Turn 1. From there, Sainz maintained his position behind George Russell’s Mercedes, until an opportune moment when both Verstappen and Norris encountered punctures from their collision.
Despite this fortunate twist, Oscar Piastri's McLaren sped past Sainz to take second place, leaving the Ferrari driver comfortably ahead of Hamilton's damaged car in fourth. Even as Ferrari fans might celebrate this podium as a resurgence, Sainz himself admits there's a lot of work to be done.
Sainz's Honest Assessment
Reflecting on his performance in Austria, Sainz openly discussed Ferrari’s current struggles. “I think there wasn’t much more in it this weekend,” he said candidly. “We did a good job in qualifying and the Sprint, but when it comes down to race pace, we remained a step behind Mercedes.”
He detailed his strategy through the race, aiming to outperform Mercedes. Although he managed to pass Hamilton, Russell’s half-a-tenth to a tenth of pace advantage left Sainz trailing by several seconds for most of the race.
“I thought that was a battle for a podium, which he was going to win,” Sainz said about his duel with Russell, “And in the end, it became a battle for a win eventually.” As hard as they tried, Ferrari could not match the speed and efficiency of their competitors.
Strategic Calls in the Final Laps
As the laps dwindled, Sainz faced a tough decision: fight off a faster Oscar Piastri or conserve his position for a surefire podium. “Once I knew it was a podium, it was difficult to judge the level of risk that you can take,” Sainz explained. With little pace to fend off the McLaren, he opted not to engage in an unwinnable fight. “Oscar was just quite a big step quicker than us this weekend.”
This strategic calculation is emblematic of Ferrari’s current predicament—balancing the fine line between aggressive racing and secure finishes.
Ongoing Challenges and Future Hopes
Sainz also highlighted Ferrari’s chronic issues that continue to hinder their performance, especially when compared to Red Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes. “High-speed cornering remains our outstanding weakness,” he noted, pointing to the specific areas where competitors outshine the SF-24.
Ferrari’s inability to match the cornering speed of rivals was evident as Verstappen, and even Mercedes and McLaren, managed to outperform the Ferrari. “Yesterday, Max was so much quicker through there. But not only Max, also Mercedes and McLaren were a clear step ahead of us in those type of corners.”
Looking ahead to upcoming races, Sainz remains cautiously optimistic but realistic about the immense work that lies ahead. Ferrari’s next crucial test will be at Silverstone. “I see the factory pushing flat out to understand the troubles that we’ve hit... trying to bring a package that allows us to perform a bit better in the high-speed corners,” he revealed.
If Ferrari can address these targeted issues and bring improvements, the team might edge closer to their rivals in the second half of the season. As of now, despite the podium finish, the Prancing Horse still has a mountain to climb to match the relentless pace of its competitors.