by VALERIO BARRETTA
Sainz charges the Ferrari
Despite the upgrades to the SF-24, the Ferrari it left Imola still with the role of third force. The fans’ expectations were partially denied on the Santerno circuit, where the Red team was not successful. But it was closer to Red Bull and McLaren, a sign that these developments have given something in terms of lap times. That lap will be fundamental in Monte-Carlo, where Ferrari has been very competitive in recent years (in 2021 and 2022 it took pole thanks to Charles Leclerc) and only thanks to the disastrous start of 2023 did it disappear from the top positions.
In short, the SF-24 will be able to have its say on the streets of the Principality. Carlos believes so too Sainz, who achieved two podiums here (2021 and 2022). And that on Sunday he will race in Monte-Carlo for the last time as a Ferrari driver. For the Spaniard, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull will start on equal terms this weekend.
Sainz’s words
“I think that on normal circuits Red Bull is always the favourite. In Monte-Carlo, however, everything is open even with strategy. We know that qualifying matters a lot here, and this year it wasn’t the strong point, but I think that with a couple of changes and with a circuit that I hope is favorable to our car we can win. We need to do a good lap in Q3 and do a good job on a strategic level. If we get an opportunity we’ll go and get it“.
“Monaco is a very special weekend, I think the fight between Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari is very close, Let’s start on equal terms here“, he concluded. “The fact that qualifying has not been Ferrari’s strong point this year does not mean that we are not aiming for victory this weekend. We are aiming to win this weekend, we will do everything we can to optimize qualifying and race strategy“.
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