Carlos Sainz Jr, representing Ferrari, aims to finish in the top three in the opening race of the Formula 1 World Championship, the Bahrain Grand Prix. Despite not achieving the progress he expected in the final session, Sainz remains optimistic. Ferrari showed promise during the practice sessions, emerging as the main competitor to Red Bull for the pole position. However, Charles Leclerc finished second on the grid, behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen by two tenths of a second. Sainz, who finished fourth in the qualifying, will start ahead of Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull car. Reflecting on the qualifying session, Sainz acknowledged the team’s strong performance in Q1 but expressed disappointment that the expected improvement in Q3 did not materialize.
Sainz explained that a later start time for the session resulted in less significant improvements on a track that was already cold. Variable wind conditions also played a role in his difficulties.
However, the Spanish driver is confident that Ferrari has made the necessary progress during the winter to improve their race performance.
“I believe we are more or less there,” Sainz said when looking ahead to the next Grand Prix. “We have a chance to reach the podium if we execute a flawless race.
“However, we will be starting from the dirty side of the track, and Checo will have new soft tires tomorrow, which will give him an advantage of two or three seconds. He will be very difficult to beat.
“I think Mercedes, us, McLarens, and Aston Martins have a similar pace. It will be an intriguing race.”
While Sainz is aiming for a podium finish, he is less optimistic about Ferrari’s ability to prevent Verstappen and Red Bull from securing their first victory of the season.
“We will wait until the race. That’s when they suddenly raise their level and show a degradation and race pace that no one else can keep up with,” he commented on the reigning champions.
“Last year, if you look at the last eight races, we were always close to them in qualifying. This year, we feel like we were within reach in qualifying again. As for the race, we will find out tomorrow.”
When asked if he believes this year’s Ferrari is a better foundation than the 2023 model, Sainz replied, “Yes, it is a better foundation. It is more predictable, and we have a better understanding of it.
“Now we are prepared to fight for better results, hopefully this year. However, Red Bull’s race pace yesterday still looks very strong.
“But I hope we don’t take a step back in the race like we did last year with Mercedes, McLarens, and Astons. Only tomorrow will tell.”
