Carlos Sainz is hopeful that Ferrari’s 2024 car has different characteristics after revealing he wasn’t comfortable in the SF-23.
The last twelve months have been difficult for Ferrari and their driver pairing. After a dream start to the new regulations in 2022, their development gradually regressed.
Fred Vasseur’s personnel failed to improve meaningfully last winter, starting the season well behind leaders Red Bull. The Italian outfit was helpless in preventing the RB19 from dominating and breaking all types of records.
However, Carlos Sainz did manage to secure victory in Singapore – ending the Austrian team’s winning run. In a generally underwhelming season, this became a highlight for Ferrari and F1 viewers more generally.
Despite this race win, Sainz slowly lost out to Charles Leclerc as the campaign progressed.
Their qualifying record was relatively equal until Japan, but Leclerc comprehensively outperformed the Spaniard after this round.
This is widely attributed to Ferrari’s upgrade package in Suzuka. Whilst only unlocking minimal performance, these updates made the SF-23 far more predictable – especially for the Monegasque.
Only last year’s Champions outscored Ferrari after the summer break, a testament to their progress.
Carlos Sainz: Last year’s car gave me headaches
For all these positives, there is still a long road ahead. Speaking in a recent interview, Sainz gave feedback on his 2023 and outlined his aspirations for 2024.
“There’s a lot of talk that the car suits me well, that I like it,” he told spanish outlet AS.
“Honestly, it didn’t only give me headaches. For my teammate and Ferrari, it was very difficult to understand.
“I didn’t enjoy driving it. I’ve had to adapt many things and experiment a lot with set-up.
“I hope 2024 is more versatile and easier to set-up.”
Consistency and drivability are characteristics Ferrari will strive for next season. This will be especially crucial in race trim, where tyre management has been a weakness in recent years.
The Las Vegas GP was a breakthrough for the team, where Leclerc managed to preserve his tyres and fight Verstappen for victory.
Without an unfortunate incident in free practice, Carlos Sainz would have started from second and also fought at the front.
In any case, Fred Vasseur’s technical team can take confidence from his result. Ultimately, however, the first indications of their 2024 development will arrive in pre-season testing.
Ferrari will aim to please both drivers with this year’s car – although absolute performance must remain the priority.
