While Carlos Sainz appears closer to a probable Ferrari contract continuation, fellow driver Charles Leclerc faces hurdles in the 2023 campaign.
With Red Bull’s misstep in Singapore, Sainz, hailing from Spain, brought his Monza form to Singapore’s streets, and sealed an admirable second career win.
Simultaneously seeking an early agreement for 2025, he mentioned his continuous efforts to refine his performance, showing marked improvement after the summer hiatus.
“It’s that in the summer break you always have a bit more time to relax, to meet with engineers to look at the things that have worked, the things that are not working,” Sainz explained.
“That’s why probably these last few races have been a step forward and now the target is to keep it going until the end of the season and hopefully into next year with a more competitive car.”
Meanwhile, Leclerc, once considered Ferrari’s top ace, has found recent challenges.
“I’m struggling a little bit more with the car – since the restart of the break actually,” he admits.
“Quite a bit of understeer, but then also quite snappy. It’s been so difficult to predict what is the car going to do on the track, which I then pay the price for with the confidence I have inside the car,” Leclerc added.
Ferrari’s chief, Frederic Vasseur, concedes that post the summer hiatus, Sainz, 29, seems “unleashed”.
“I’m not surprised by how well Carlos drove here,” the Frenchman declared. “Here in Singapore, he consistently proved his mettle in every session.
“I don’t think there is a driver who would have managed the last ten laps as cleverly,” Vasseur commented after the Singapore Grand Prix.
When probed about the areas Sainz has excelled in as the 2023 season advanced, Vasseur observed, “It’s the mental preparation for the weekend, but the main difference is that he’s there from the first lap, from the first practice session.
“That helps a lot. But we’re talking about small details in the approach.”
