Ferrari: Difficult Sprint Race for Sainz in Brazil, "I Made Too Many Mistakes"
A Challenging Weekend for the Scuderia
Carlos Sainz reflected on a disappointing sprint race in Brazil, acknowledging his own errors and the team's struggles. The Ferrari driver, who qualified third, slipped to fourth at the start and then made a mistake on lap 7, running wide at Turn 4 and losing further positions. Sainz eventually finished fifth, behind teammate Charles Leclerc in fourth.Sainz was critical of his own performance, saying, "I made too many mistakes. I had a good start, but I lost a position to Lando [Norris] and then I made a mistake at Turn 4, which cost me another two positions. I was struggling a bit with the car, but that's no excuse for the mistakes I made. I need to do better."
Team principal Mattia Binotto echoed Sainz's assessment, saying, "It was a difficult race for Carlos. He made a few mistakes, but he also had some bad luck. He lost a position to Norris at the start, and then he made a mistake at Turn 4. After that, he was struggling with the car, and he couldn't make up the lost ground."
Leclerc's Strong Race
In contrast to Sainz's struggles, Leclerc had a strong race, moving up from fifth to fourth at the start and holding off Sergio Perez's Red Bull for the rest of the race. Leclerc finished just over a second behind Norris, and he is now third in the drivers' championship standings, 14 points behind Max Verstappen.
Binotto praised Leclerc's performance, saying, "Charles had a very good race. He started fifth, but he moved up to fourth at the start and he held off Perez for the rest of the race. He was very strong on the tires, and he managed to keep Perez behind him even though the Red Bull was faster on the straights."
Ferrari's Struggles
Despite Leclerc's strong performance, Ferrari is still struggling to keep pace with Red Bull and Mercedes. The team has not won a race since the Austrian Grand Prix in July, and it is now third in the constructors' championship standings, behind Red Bull and Mercedes.
Binotto admitted that Ferrari is facing a challenge, but he is confident that the team can improve. "We are not where we want to be, but we are working hard to improve. We have some upgrades coming for the next race in Abu Dhabi, and we are hoping that they will help us to close the gap to Red Bull and Mercedes."
Conclusion
It was a difficult sprint race for Ferrari in Brazil, with Sainz struggling and Leclerc finishing fourth. The team is still facing a challenge, but Binotto is confident that Ferrari can improve and close the gap to Red Bull and Mercedes.
