Carlos Sainz believes that Ferrari will first need to deploy major improvements before they can compete with Red Bull.
Ferrari experienced an extremely successful Australian Grand Prix this year, winning a double and thus breaking the winning streak of Red Bull, who started this season with two clear triumphs.
While it’s no longer a question of whether Carlos Sainz would have won in Melbourne even if Max Verstappen had made it to the finish line, the Spaniard himself admits that Ferrari still needs to make a step forward if Red Bull are to regularly challenge for wins.
“Our car worked really well this time. But until we put improvements on the car, it will be difficult for us to be at the front like this on every track,” said Sainz, quoted by Autosport.
“However, in Australia our car behaved like a race-winning car. And even though Red Bull was fast in qualifying and took pole position, I think that time was not unattainable for us,” believes the native of Madrid, whose Ferrari is about to come with a major upgrade for the May race at Imola.
“In addition, there will be tracks on which we were already strong last year. And given that our race pace is better this year, I hope that with the help of development, we will fight with Red Bull more often,” said Sainz, who, in his words, regretted in Melbourne that Verstappen retired early due to a brake failure.
“It’s a shame, we could have had a good fight for first place,” added the Ferrari pilot.
