Relentless pressure & a nail-biting battle to the flag! Carlos Sainz & Max Verstappen were in a league of their own when F1 visited Montreal last year. Over the course of these 12 months, several aspects have changed. Ferrari has considerably dropped back in the pecking order. Meanwhile, Red Bull & Max Verstappen are flexing their muscles, presumably cruising to the 2023 championship. Although, Sainz is not yet losing hope. The Spaniard made a bullish claim to indicate his intent against Verstappen & Co. for the upcoming Canadian GP.

Carlos Sainz has not been in a great shape of form barring a few instances since 2022. It is safe to say Ferrari‘s trajectory of form has also been similar, perhaps even worse than Carlos’s. Regardless, the Spanish driver feels the Scuderia can challenge Red Bull to some extent at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.

According to Soymotor, Sainz spoke on the Cadena SER program, El Laguero, to boost Ferrari’s Canadian GP chances. He said, “You don’t have to be a genius to know that Red Bull is very difficult to catch this season, but that doesn’t mean that Ferrari can’t do it.”

“We are going to try and this does not mean that we cannot win races. We will be attentive to fish for a victory, although Max together with such a dominant Red Bull and without pressure, it is difficult to force the error on him.” Carlos’s statement contradicts his previous admission of how their defeat is inevitable unless Verstappen & Co. falters. So his hope for the Canadian GP may be a bit bullish, but if Ferrari’s package unlocks its potential, then who knows?

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While Sainz is fully aware of how badly his home race in Spain fared, he retains hope in Ferrari’s new upgrades. It may not have worked for the Italian team in Barcelona; but in F1, big upgrades need time. So both Carlos Sainz & Charles Leclerc must be praying that the upgrades work sooner for their season’s betterment.

Carlos Sainz Puts Faith in Ferrari’s New Upgrades

It may be difficult for either of Ferrari drivers to trust the team’s future improvement promises, given how they have gone backward since last season. Although, Carlos Sainz is standing strong to boost the team’s morale on these upgrades.

According to Planet Sport, he explained what the Scuderia is aiming to achieve with the new parts on the SF-23. He said, “This upgrade represents more of a shift in our working range rather than a major performance boost.” The Spaniard mentions that they are not looking for a sudden half a second gain & would rather look for incremental improvements.

Sainz also stated, “I believe it is fulfilling its purpose and functioning well.” Both Carlos & Charles is looking to stick to the team’s plans & not overly criticize them despite underwhelming results. So hopefully they get a good payoff sooner than later if Ferrari’s upgrades can deliver a performance boost.

Time will tell if Carlos Sainz or Charles Leclerc can stun Verstappen & Co. with a surprise performance in 2023. It seems unlikely given how dominant Red Bull’s package is. Still, one never knows if either of the Scuderia drivers survive a chaotic race in Montreal or somewhere else to come on top! Do you think Ferrari can win a race this season?

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