Sainz Advocates for All-Rounder Ferrari in Next Season
Dec.8 - Carlos Sainz says Ferrari needs to make its 2024 car more of an all-rounder.
Corriere dello Sport, an Italian national sports newspaper, has published rumours that next year's Maranello-made single seater will be unveiled on 13 February.
And Charles Leclerc's teammate Sainz says the team's task is clear.
When asked to name the strengths of the 2023 Ferrari, he told the Spanish broadcaster DAZN: "I would definitely choose straight-line speed, braking performance, and the pace in shorter 90-degree curves.
"The behaviour of the car over the kerbs I think was another very positive point," Sainz added. "So the car had some very, very strong points.
"But I think that if we want to have a good car for the whole championship, maybe we have to give up some of those traits to make sure that we are fast in every area - especially in the races," he insisted.
Ferrari finished a few points behind Mercedes in the constructors' championship this year, but they each managed less than half the points of the ultra-dominant Red Bull team.
Sainz, though, says Ferrari really can catch up over a single winter.
"I trust this team," he said. "I trust the ability we have at the factory to turn things around. There were still circuits where we achieved pole position three tenths ahead of the Red Bulls.
"It's just that qualifying was a very specific feature of the car that it was really good at. We have to turn it into an all-terrain vehicle now," Sainz smiled.
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"Carlos Sainz says Ferrari needs to make its 2024 car more of an all-rounder." Definitely if they want to be in with a chance of winning regularly.
At the moment it seems like they've taken the decision to go one way to ensure they have the ability to strike at Red Bull at one or two venues and be the only other team to actually win a race, rather than like merc or mclaren who are trying to be the best of the rest everywhere.
Glory in or two races per year or a consistent and distant second?