For Carlos Sainz, the weekend on the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit was not unforgettable. The Spanish driver certified eighth and completed seventh within the race behind his Maranello teammate Charles Leclerc, who began from pole place and completed fourth on observe, maintaining behind the not dominant Max Verstappen. George Russell initially crossed the end line first after a one-stop technique, however his automotive was disqualified post-race for being below the burden restrict. In consequence, his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton claims victory, with Oscar Piastri shifting as much as P2 and Charles Leclerc securing P3. Which means that Carlos Sainz additionally gained a place, nevertheless it nonetheless remained a upset Sunday afternoon for the Spaniard.
Though the SF-24 wasn’t thought of among the many favorites within the Ardennes race, the Maranello automotive managed to indicate aggressive moments, an indication of enchancment in comparison with Ferrari in current weeks. Nonetheless, in contrast to his Monegasque teammate, the staff opted for a special technique with Carlos Sainz.
“We took some dangers beginning with the arduous tire,” feedback the Spaniard. “We additionally gained a place, so I used to be very optimistic and optimistic about this technique. We managed to stretch it to the twentieth lap. In hindsight, not sufficient, as a result of in all probability doing only one cease appeared attainable as we speak. And sure, in all probability an important factor is that we didn’t do both a one-stop or an optimum two-stop technique. It’s simple to say now, in hindsight, nevertheless it appeared to me that the race promised rather more.” – he identified on the finish of the Belgian Grand Prix.
After the primary twenty laps of the 44 scheduled, the Spaniard thought he had an opportunity to battle for the rostrum. Phantasm shattered. Why? “I assumed we might have a shot on the podium after which out of the blue I ended up in seventh place, 9 seconds behind the sixth,” he continues. “So, it’s clear that there’s one thing we have to look at. On the identical time, I imagine our direct opponents had been quicker as we speak, and I don’t assume it will have modified a lot.”
On the Belgian Sunday, the place the race was received by a driver who led for 34 laps on the identical tire, Carlos Sainz believes his stint was too brief: “We should always have tried to increase it by a minimum of 10 laps. Or, if we had carried out two stops, perhaps we must always have stopped 5 or 6 laps earlier to spend as a lot time as attainable on the arduous tire, which was our purpose as we speak.”
Regardless of the advance proven by the SF-24 within the final two races, Carlos Sainz thinks there’s nonetheless a lot work to be carried out to shut the hole with others: “In comparison with Mercedes, Crimson Bull, and McLaren, we’re nonetheless two or three tenths behind within the race. With my automotive, it appeared like we had been within the battle for the rostrum after which, as quickly as everybody placed on the arduous tires, we noticed their tempo. I felt aggressive and quick, then once I heard the others’ instances, I assumed: ‘No, I’m not as quick as I might have appreciated,’” he concluded following the race on the 7.004-kilometre Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday.
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