Carlos Sainz’s Game Plan Faltering as 2023 Season Starts the Same “Struggle” Deja Vu: “I Don’t Understand”

Carlos Sainz had a rollercoaster day yesterday as after a dismal practice session Sainz was found struggling with tires in the qualifying. However, despite the fact that the outcome was almost as expected by management, Sainz’s struggles in qualifying and Charles Leclerc’s quickness have upset the Spanish driver. The 28-year-old may have experienced déjà vu due to the present difficulties in the same way that he did at the beginning of the season last year.

After having trouble in Q1 and Q2, Sainz finally finished at P4, and he will start the race alongside George Russell of Mercedes. Even though he placed fourth, he wasn’t pleased with his performance. In addition, Carlos Sainz’s teammate Charles Leclerc, who already had a 10-place Grid penalty, finished in second place, which could have brought back memories of Carlos Sainz’s season 2022.

In the first half of the season last year, the 28-year-old driver was upfront about his struggles. The Spaniard explained how he had to tweak his driving style to excel in F1-75. Despite the fact that the Scuderia constructed a car that was capable of victory, Sainz rather found himself in the shadow of teammate Charles Leclerc, who was Max Verstappen’s lone challenge the previous season.

As quoted by motorsports total, Carlos Sainz explained how his game plan faltered at the Saudi qualifying. He said, “I wasn’t able to prepare the tyres in such a way that I had the feeling of being able to push in Turns 1 and 2. In the end, I was missing three or four-tenths, which is a lot for a sector. I put too much pressure on me there, so the car broke out and I started to slip.

The Spanish driver added further, “I was still experimenting with the warm-up laps, but the tyres were in no way ready for the first sector. It was only in sectors two and three that it always fit. So there’s certainly something I don’t understand or can’t get right.”

READ MORE: Charles Leclerc Plays Chess With Max Verstappen & Co. Ahead of Blurred F1 Performance Runs in Jeddah

The Ferrari has continued to experience reliability issues since last year. And at the season opener in Bahrain this year, it was reported that Leclerc would get a 10-place grid penalty as a result of the engine issues. Nonetheless, neither of the two drivers’ optimism is impacted by this worry.

Despite the 10-place grid penalties for the Monegasque, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are confident about the true pace of their car

As Leclerc retired at the Sakhir track due to a mechanical issue, it was quickly revealed that the Monegasque would lose ten grid positions. This occurred as each of the two control electronics systems that each driver is allowed to employ was used on the new Sf-23 of Leclerc’s.

Nevertheless, soon after Friday’s first practise, it was found that both the Scuderia vehicles had new power units, which would not immediately result in any penalties but could eventually lead to infractions later in the year. These recurring blows demonstrate that the Prancing Horse’s dependability is still a problem. However on one hand, where Leclerc said that the team has still something in their” locker”, Sainz was found much more upbeat regarding the car’s true pace.

As per sky sports f1, the Spaniard said, “Our position today doesn’t reflect our true pace. We look competitive in the long runs so I am more positive going into the weekend. Red Bull are clear favourites but Aston Martin and Mercedes are there with us in terms of pace. The overall feeling, I feel closer. If it’s enough to be on the podium or battle at the top we will see on Sunday.”

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In light of the aforementioned, do you think Ferrari seriously has something in their locker?