“It’s very much a McLaren track.”
Ferrari arrived at its first home race of the season with a huge upgrade package on the car, which is commonly referred to as the SF-24 Evo due to the number of changes made. However, after some very positive practice sessions, qualifying showed them that Max Verstappen and the McLarens were at least one lap ahead.
At the end of the third quarter, Charles Leclerc was fourth, ahead of Carlos Sainz, who was not surprised by the fact that he lost to Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, as he believes that Papaya-colored car unveiled at Imola.
“Looking at this weekend, we expected this because Imola is a McLaren circuit, with medium and fast corners, which always suits them,” he said.
Regarding Ferrari’s speed, the Madrid native said he was concerned about the fact that it was difficult to get performance from a soft tirealthough times were easier in medium to heavy conditions and that concern could be positive news in the race tomorrow.
“As for fourth and fifth, the truth is that with the soft tire I suffered a lot all weekend. Every time I put the soft tire on I drive almost slower than with the medium and hard tire, so that’s something we’ll have to investigate. And nothing, so for tomorrow, when the points are distributed, I hope that with the medium tire and the hard one I will achieve more.
On this Sunday afternoon at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit, Sainz still believes that a comeback is possible, and although the characteristics of the track provide few overtaking opportunities, I’m sure I can reach the podium.
“The start will be important, it’s not a very wide track either so there aren’t usually many opportunities at the start, but we need to think positively and see how we can move forward.”
“There is a chance of a podium if we beat the McLarens, and that is what we need as a team,” concluded the Ferrari Formula 1 Madrid driver.
Gallery: the best photos from Formula 1 Saturday at Imola 2024
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