Carlos Sainz finished the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix in fifth position. Together with Leclerc he was disappointed by the performance of the SF-24, but remains optimistic about the updates expected at Imola.
After a difficult and even somewhat controversial start to the weekend, Carlos Sainz managed to finish the 2024 Chinese GP race in fifth position. However, like his teammate, he was not satisfied with the performance shown by the SF-24. Both drivers complained about not being able to get the hard tires to the optimal temperature, in what was the first weekend in which Ferrari did not finish on the podium, showing a pace distant from that of the Red Bulls, as he stated the Spaniard on Sky's microphones:
“This weekend we were particularly far from Red Bull, while McLaren was a pleasant surprise. When I saw this circuit in the simulator, I already knew that it would be difficult for us, and in fact we were slow throughout weekend."
Sainz also spoke about the expected updates, which will start with small changes in Miami and then culminate with the arrival of the complete package in Imola, aimed at reducing the gap with the dominant Milton Keynes team.
“We must learn from these circuits. The updates will help us in the next races, especially at tracks like Shanghai. Red Bull has already introduced the first package of updates and the results are evident. We'll see what happens."
Negotiations underway for 2025
Carlos too, like his teammate, he appears confident about the results that future improvements will bring, aware that they are also fundamental for his personal performance. The driver, who had so far finished on the podium in every race he had participated in this season, has not yet secured a seat for 2025.
Although nothing has yet been officially defined, it is clear that the current Ferrari driver is in great demand on the market. There are apparently ongoing conversations between Sainz's entourage and Audi, Mercedes and even Red Bull, which shows that he is in no hurry to choose Max's partner for next year.
The current champions are waiting to evaluate the performances of Mexican Checo Pérez before possibly deciding whether to replace him with Sainz. However, it emerged that the Spanish driver received a financial offer from Audi which, as stated by Marko, Red Bull wouldn't even be able to equalize.
