Ferrari leaves Barcelona with a few question marks on multiple fronts. The biggest takeaway was the SF-24’s lack of performance, with the Italian outfit only the fourth-fastest. Another major talking point is the growing tension between Sainz and Leclerc. Leclerc made his feelings clear post-race, stating that Sainz compromised the team’s race. Carlos Sainz has responded, arguing that it was necessary for him to overtake his teammate.
CARLOS SAINZ: “WE HAD TO ATTACK MERCEDES.”
Whilst Ferrari’s lack of competitiveness is certainly an issue, there is also an internal disagreement resolve. Though Leclerc was unhappy with the Spaniard’s approach, Sainz left no doubt about his perspective:
“For me, it’s very clear. We had a new soft, Mercedes was with a used soft, and we had to go on the attack.
“I did exactly that; I don’t know what happened to him on the first lap. I don’t know if he made a mistake. But I had the opportunity to pass him, and it’s not like I could stay behind him for my whole life.”
Sainz gave a polar opposite assessment to his teammate. Their incident will undoubtedly be revisited in the build-up to Austria:
“From then on, I went on the attack on the Mercedes. I was very close to overtaking them in the first stint because they were on used tyres, and we were on new ones, and I wanted to move forward.
“I don’t know what he’s complaining about because this time, I don’t know what he’s worried about.”
SAINZ: “WE STRUGGLE ON MEDIUM-HIGH SPEED CORNERS”
Beyond the internal duel at Ferrari, Carlos Sainz then focused on the performance side, highlighting how important the work to be done is. This is in light of the level expressed by Red Bull and McLaren, but also a Mercedes on the rise.
“I expected to be at least closer, but the problem is that when you look at McLaren and Red Bull, they are really far away. And Mercedes have improved so much that on these types of tracks, they are ahead of us.
“We have to work, especially on this type of track.”
The Spaniard believes Ferrari must find solutions as quickly as possible. He anticipates the next sequence of rounds will demand a step forward:
“I honestly think that if we returned to Monaco tomorrow, we would fight for the victory. But now there are more tracks like Barcelona rather than Monaco, and we need to improve on this type of circuit.
“Because, on the long, medium-high speed corners, we struggle more than the others.
