F1 Bahrain GP: Carlos Sainz expects Fernando Alonso to be “at Ferrari’s pace or quicker”

Carlos Sainz, who will start P4 for the Bahrain GP, is expecting Fernando Alonso (P5) and Aston Martin to be very strong from behind.

F1 Bahrain GP: Carlos Sainz expects Fernando Alonso to be “at Ferrari’s pace or quicker”

Carlos Sainz (L) and Fernando Alonso (R)

Despite all the hype, many were left feeling a little cold at the end of the Bahrain GP’s qualifying session. It was certainly a bit anti-climactic, but it’s the realistic, perhaps even expected result. Max Verstappen will start the season opener in pole position, and his teammate, Sergio Perez will share the front row with him. Behind them are the Ferraris, with Charles Leclerc in P3, and Carlos Sainz in P4, and then Fernando Alonso and George Russell share the third row.

Sainz had topped the timesheets in Q1, with Leclerc in P3. In Q2, Leclerc took over and went fastest of all drivers, and Sainz ended up in P5. For Q3, the Red Bulls restored ‘normality’ and looked like they were fastest from the first moment, particularly so Verstappen. It’s still all to play for during the race, of course, but Ferrari still seem to have some issues with tire degradation. Last year, too, this was a problem. There’s also a threat from behind: Fernando Alonso the Aston Martin (and Mercedes).

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Sainz is wary of this threat. First, when asked for his thoughts on the qualifying session in the F1 post-qualifying show, he said: “Good. Back to where we expected to be after testing, more or less in that second row. A step behind the Red Bulls, but also in the second row. That is not too bad.” As for the gap, he said: “Over one lap, more or less as expected. I expected us to be [behind] two to three-tenths over one lap.”

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“I think over the race distance this might increase, with the tire degradation and the very good job the Red Bulls normally do there. But we will still try everything tomorrow.” Asked how Ferrari will look to counter this tire degradation, he cited the extra set of soft tires saved by Leclerc, saying: “So I think he will be able to stay a bit closer to the Red Bulls thanks to that. For equal tires, it’s more difficult. We can see that the [Red Bull’s] tyres degrade half as much as we degrade.” but ended by saying, that ‘anything can happen’ during the race.

Read More: F1 Bahrain GP: “We are still going faster,” Max Verstappen is confident about getting a win at Sakhir

Carlos Sainz looking forward to battling Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso (L) and Carlos Sainz (R)
Fernando Alonso (L) and Carlos Sainz (R)

Aston Martin have been the big surprise of 2023. In pre-season testing, they looked good, but the Fernando Alonso hype train went to another level with the practice sessions. The Spaniard finished second in the first practice session and then topped FP2 and FP3. While he could not repeat his result in qualifying, he still ended up P5, and his teammate, Lance Stroll, finished the session in P8. It’s quite the step forward from 2022, and the car has also looked good in the long runs.

Asked if the fight on Sunday will be towards Red Bull or Aston Martin, Carlos Sainz said: “Honestly, I think, Charles and me on the first stint, we’re going to look forward.” but, he added: “But I think Fernando from behind is going to be very strong. That Aston Martin has very similar degradation to the Red Bull.” and that: “I expect Fernando to be at our pace or quicker, so it’s going to be a tight fight keeping him behind.”

The Ferrari driver also said that he is looking forward to fighting Alonso ‘a bit more upfront’ after fighting him for ‘8 years in the midfield’. This battle is definitely something to keep an eye out for tomorrow, especially if Ferrari’s tire degradation issues persist. If they do, then the Red Bulls might just fly off into the distance while Ferrari are left holding back Aston Martin and Mercedes. As Sainz said, anything is possible.

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