The one in Canada is a track that Carlos Sainz likes a lot, as demonstrated by the Spaniard's excellent race in 2022 again in Montreal. On that occasion he came close to Max Verstappen despite failing to snatch the victory from him. This year seems like a completely different story, Ferrari started with great difficulties and only in Barcelona did some important updates arrive that made the team take a small step forward, not big enough to be able to aspire to a victory or a podium , increasingly difficult to obtain with the permanent presence of Aston Martin and Mercedes which seems to have been reborn in Spain.
In Canada the Maranello team will not bring further updates, but he will try to obtain clearer answers from those brought to Spain, also in light of the problems Leclerc had. No faults or breakages were found on the Monegasque's car. However that wasn't the only problem. In Spain, Sainz's SF-23, which started on the front row, found itself in difficulty managing the tyres. The Maranello team once again missed out on the podium, but in Canada, they will also have to compete with other teams that are improving.
Carlos Sainz: “Performance has not improved”
Interviewed by the media in Canada, Carlos Sainz spoke about his feelings ahead of the weekend. His teammate, Charles Leclerc he said he didn't expect "miracles" from the race Canada, and Carlos remains of the same belief despite the SF-23 is better suited to a track like that of Montreal.
The SF-23 has limits beyond which it is not possible to go and this prevents progression in terms of performance. What the team can therefore do is fully understand the limitations of the project and use them as a starting point to build the future foundations, starting with the 2024 single-seater.
“I really like this track, it runs very close to the curbs and walls, it's a lot like Monte Carlo - added Sainz – I hope for a better weekend than the one in Barcelona, even if we don't bring anything new compared to that occasion, but we understood what didn't work. However, in terms of performance we have not improved. What we expect is that the package we brought to Barcelona can be exploited a little better and also that the characteristics of the circuit suit us a little better."
Watch out for the Alpine
Finally, according to Sainz, teams like Alpine could also approach Canada. "I think Alpine is about to join the group formed by us and by Mercedes and Aston – Sainz said. “I think they are very, very close to joining this fight although I think we still have a bit of an advantage. Between Aston and Mercedes, I think it's a very close battle. Usually Aston, with Fernando takes over, but let's see. After Barcelona, I believe Mercedes will be in charge."
Source statements: F1
