Carlos Sainz has several things he wants to retain from the SF-23 in order to beat Red Bull in 2024

The SF-23 proved to be the most competitive during qualifying, with Sainz and his teammate Charles Leclerc together securing seven pole positions in Grand Prix races this season. This success over one lap was partly made possible by Red Bull paying particular attention to race pace in order to then have a advantage on longer stints.

Sainz gives an assessment of the SF-23

Sainz believes that unlocking the potential of the Pirellis should be the focus for Ferrari, although he emphasized the straight-line speed and performance in the slow corners of the SF-23 as aspects to keep.

« What do we do with these tires that don’t allow us to compete at the level of Red Bull and McLaren in Brazil, or even in Austin, on circuits where you can clearly see that we simply don’t have the pace? »

Interrogated by Autosport on what he wished to keep from the current car for the upcoming season, Sainz replied: “« I would definitely take the straight-line speed, the braking performance, and the performance in 90-degree turns. Additionally, I think driving over curbs is a strong point. So, the car has very, very strong points.”

Ferrari, a direct competitor to Red Bull by 2024 – is it an achievable goal?

However, he added that these assets may have to be sacrificed so that, overall, Ferrari can take a step forward if the team wants to reach its « realistic goal » of challenging Red Bull. Regarding the prospect of fighting against the reigning constructors’ champion from the start, Sainz declared: « That must be our realistic goal. Will we be able to achieve it? Only time will tell ».

(I) I have the impression that if we want to have a car for the whole year, we may need to unveil some of these features to make sure we are fast everywhere, especially in races (F), before adding, (I) it’s during the races that we really need to focus on understanding what we are doing with this car (F).

« I want the team to think it’s possible because I believe it. Furthermore, we have proven that if McLaren managed to overcome these steps during the season, I am perfectly confident that Ferrari can do it during the winter break. […] I trust this team. I have confidence in the ability we have in-house to make things happen.

« There are still circuits where we are in pole position with a 0.3-second advantage over Red Bull. It’s just that it’s a very specific characteristic of the car that is really good. We just need to make it a versatile model. »