Carlos Sainz is going through a particularly positive period, after the forced stop for the operation for appendicitis in Jeddah, the first has arrived in Australia victory of the season, the third of his career. In Melbourne the Spaniard from Ferrari took the lead of the race already on the first lap. Overcoming Verstappen who had to give up due to a brake problem, leading a solo race until the checkered flag. The double completed by Leclerc gave everyone great enthusiasm, above all because it was the result of intense work and not just luck. But in Suzuka things could get more complicated for the Red Team, due to a particularly challenging circuit which in 2023 exacerbated the defects of the SF-23. Compared to last season, however, Ferrari seems to have taken a safer path, arriving at the Japanese event with more certainties than doubts. Let's see Carlos Sainz's sensations on the eve of the Japanese Grand Prix, in Suzuka.
Carlos Sainz, on the eve of the weekend in Suzuka
Carlos Sainz is playing his last season in Red. His future is still uncertain but what is now clear is that he will do everything he can to seize every opportunity the track offers him. Many in Melbourne wondered how it would have gone without Verstappen's retirement. Sainz himself did so, replying that he would have seen a rather heated fight anyway. It will be more difficult in Suzuka, but Sainz reiterated that the objective must always be to get the best out of every weekend. There will be weekends like the one in Australia but also weekends in which obtaining the maximum result means getting even just 1 of the two cars on the podium. This will obviously depend on Ferrari, but also on Red Bull.
“I think it's true that in Australia we seem very strong, but I think that usually in these cases it is sufficient to take the average of the first three races,” declared Carlos Sainz, on the eve of the weekend in Suzuka: “and I think that the average is that we are still a couple of tenths behind the Red Bulls, and we probably need an update, especially at tracks like Suzuka, to counter them."
“I think the work done by the team this year is extremely good, because the car is a great step forward. We just need more results if we want to win at circuits like Japan."
Sainz's future: "I'm talking to some teams but I have to speed up the process"
The Spaniard also spoke about his future at Suzuka. Not having a seat for 2025, as well as thinking about the results on the track you also have the need to find one. At the moment the drivers' market is at a standstill waiting for the next move which could change the cards on the table again. And the first successes of the season make Sainz quite coveted. Precisely for this reason he declared that he is already "talking to some teams".
“That's what my management team and I are supposed to do when I still don't have a job for next year! So, yes, we are talking to almost all of them. It's just a matter of delving into the details and seeing the most realistic options and understanding which ones are best for me and my future, but I don't have any news to give you or tell you today."
Sainz added that he is intent on resolving the issue as soon as possible: “The only thing I would like to say is that, yes, obviously the time has come to speed up the process a little bit and, hopefully, we can resolve the issue as soon as possible".
