Carlos Sainz qualified fourth for the Japanese Grand Prix, following a disappointing session for Ferrari. The Spaniard realized earlier in the weekend that qualifying would be challenging for the Scuderia and hopes to perform better in the race.
“Especially after the third session, we saw that we didn’t have the same pace as in the first session, and we thought the weekend would be more difficult,” Sainz stated.
“We made a good step forward in qualifying, but Lando is two-tenths ahead of us for third place, which is too much for Suzuka. Normally, the gaps are very, very tight. Two-tenths was too much. But I had some very good laps in qualifying and was happy with my performance.”
“It’s always a track where Ferrari is not the fastest car, and we know why. We have been better in race pace this weekend, but I don’t know if it will be good or bad. I hope we can fight with McLaren in the race because in qualifying, it was impossible.”
Sainz sets clearer goals: “In the race, it would be good to have a fight for the podium between Lando, myself, Fernando, and the Mercedes behind. It should be an interesting battle for the podium; I think the Red Bulls are unfortunately in a different league here.”
“The feeling was there, but the time was not.”
Charles Leclerc is frustrated with his seventh place in qualifying, after experiencing a grip issue on his fast laps. The Monegasque did not have a bad feeling behind the wheel, but he was losing time without understanding why.
“Simply because I can’t find grip. The whole qualifying, even the lap in Q1… I finish the lap, I think it’s not bad, and I’m a second off. I don’t have too many answers, which is never a good sign,” Leclerc told Canal+.
“If we look at the positives, the race pace is there, but in quali, we lost more than we thought. On my side, it’s not a question of feeling. The feeling was there, but the time was not at all. We need to look at tire preparation; it’s sensitive at that point. But even that, I tried different things, and it doesn’t work.”
However, Leclerc wants to remain positive and explains his reasons for optimism for the rest of the weekend: “In the race, it hasn’t been a problem this weekend. The two times we put in more fuel, we were faster.”
“But starting from the back on a circuit like this, it’s not going to be easy to come back. It was important to do well today because it’s not a track where it’s easy to overtake, but we will have to look at this because it shouldn’t continue like this.”
The fact that the SF-24 is better in the race is a good thing, but it’s not enough in Japan: “It’s positive on tracks where you can overtake, but on a layout like Suzuka, where it’s more complicated and where degradation is very high, it’s more difficult.”
Sainz Reveals Why Ferrari Lacks One-Lap Speed, Eyes Race Pace. Sainz Reveals Why Ferrari Lacks One-Lap Speed, Eyes Race Pace
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