Carlos Sainz claims Ferrari can still ‘come out on top’ for second in the standings against Aston Martin and Mercedes

Carlos Sainz praised Ferrari for the in-season development of the SF23.

Carlos Sainz claims Ferrari can still ‘come out on top’ for second in the standings against Aston Martin and Mercedes

Carlos Sainz (image via IMAGO)

Scuderia Ferrari had an underwhelming start to the 2023 F1 season. The Italian team fell behind rivals including Mercedes and Aston Martin. However, Maranello has brought in several upgrades this season to close up the gap to the front. Now, Carlos Sainz has insisted that the Scuderia can make its way up to the best of the rest behind Red Bull by the end of the year.

Sainz mentioned that Ferrari aims to finish second in the championship this season. The Spanish driver insisted that the Prancing Horse could defeat Aston Martin and Mercedes in the standings if the Scuderia could do a perfect job in the remainder of the season. He said, as reported by RaceFans, “There’s still a constructors championship to fight with Mercedes and Aston Martin. Which we still believe we can come out on top if we do a perfect job.”

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The Spanish driver was convinced that Maranello had done the most in-season development this season. Ferrari has tried to address its underlying issues with the SF23 this year before a new car can be introduced next season. As such, Sainz believes Ferrari can improve by the end of this season. The 29-year-old said, “I think if you look at the development race. I think we are up there in terms of cars that have developed the most.”

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Carlos Sainz has scored just a single podium in 2023

Carlos Sainz after qualifying on Pole for the Italian GP (Credits:@ScuderiaFerrari/Twitter)
Carlos Sainz after qualifying on Pole for the Italian GP (Credits:@ScuderiaFerrari/Twitter)

The 29-year-old had a rough start to the current season. Sainz was on the backfoot compared to teammate Charles Leclerc. However, the Spanish driver bagged his first season podium at the Italian GP. Subsequently, Carlos Sainz might manage to continue this momentum in the upcoming races and perhaps defeat his teammate in the forthcoming races.

Ferrari has shown promise in one-lap pace at the Italian GP, with Sainz securing pole position. However, the two Ferrari cars proved no match for the dominant Red Bull RB-19 at Monza. As such, there is still a long way to go before the Scuderia can trouble the Milton Keynes-based team for race victories throughout this season.

Thus, Carlos Sainz insists that Scuderia Ferrari can win the fight for second in the standings against Aston Martin and Mercedes. The Spanish driver was convinced that Maranello had done a decent job with car development throughout the season. However, it remains to be seen if the Scuderia can win this tight battle behind Red Bull.

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