Carlos Sainz claims Ferrari’s SF24 is a car that finally allows him to ‘attack’

Carlos Sainz had an extremely strong outing during the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Carlos Sainz claims Ferrari’s SF24 is a car that finally allows him to ‘attack’

Carlos Sainz (via IMAGO)

In his first race after being announced that he wouldn’t be getting a contract extension, Carlos Sainz drove the SF-24 like he had nothing to lose and made it to the podium in the opening race. With a showcase of the skills he possesses, the Ferrari driver has praised his 2024 challenger for its comfortability.

The 29-year-old had a successful campaign last year as he was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race. However, even with that achievement behind him, the Scuderia decided to axe him for the 2025 season. Subsequently, Sainz has levelled up his game in an attempt to make the most out of his last season with the prancing horses and started the season off with a podium. Moreover, the Spaniard feels totally at home with the car following his late divebombs on his teammate and other drivers.

https://youtu.be/LwcvMXtuXU4?si=gbvsfyIRxYXUP1TI

While addressing the media the Spaniard stated:

FS Video
I love racing and I love overtaking, being aggressive and attacking. And with last year's car it was just impossible to do that. As soon as we drove in turbulent air, as soon as we overheated the tires, As soon as we pushed a little too hard, the game was over.
Carlos Sainz said as reported by motorsport-total

The 29-year-old elaborated that he likes a car that allows him to be aggressive and can put all his power behind the wheel without risking to unsettle the car. Moreover, this refers to the work done by the engineers in Maranello on the SF-24 to be successful. Following this, he is happy with the car and is expected to give a tough fight to Charles Leclerc.

How can Ferrari do better according to Carlos Sainz?

Last year, the Italian outfit was able to snatch the pole multiple times in the hands of both Sainz and Leclerc. However, the SF-23 burned off its tyres in the race and faced tyre degradation issues.

Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz (via IMAGO).

After the race, Sainz gave a path that the team could work on to enhance its performance:

I think we're a bit too far away at the moment to be a real challenge for race wins if they put everything together and do everything perfectly. But the basis we have on the car this year is much better," he said Sainz. And if we build on that and put more and more downforce on the car, then I think we can get closer to them. But we have to start from now, because if not, they will start pushing and rushing away.
Carlos Sainz said as reported by motorsport-total

The Spaniard explained that the car was just a little too far away in terms of performance. Moreover, he added that Ferrari need to add downforce without the penalty of added drag as the Red Bulls are quite slippery in a straight line.

Thus, there is still a long way for Ferrari to catch on to the dominant Red Bulls. However, with updates throughout the season, they can be a challenger for a few wins here and there.

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