Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished 4th and 5th at the Chinese Grand Prix, and after the team’s weakest race this year, the Spaniard warns that they need a better car if they don’t want to suffer on tracks like Shanghai.
The podium in the fifth race of the season was the first this year without a Ferrari driver, and it was also the first race in 2024 when a car other than the Red Bulls finished ahead of Leclerc and Sainz – as Lando Norris finished second with McLaren .
“If only Max finishes in front of me, I feel like I’ve won,” said Norris, who then took Kelly Piquet’s place
The Ferraris struggled with the pace during the weekend, and their drivers also got into a fight with each other in the race after the sprint – after the start on Sunday, they were overtaken by George Russell and briefly even Nico Hülkenberg. After a bumpy start, Sainz says 4th and 5th are the best they could achieve.
“It was not a good weekend for the team, which was indicated by the 6th and 7th positions in the qualifying, but the pace was also lacking in the race. There will be tracks where Red Bull will be clearly ahead of us, and McLaren will be stronger. If we want to be stronger on tracks like China or Suzuka, then we have to enter such races with a better foundation. But in places like Australia, we can also be in front, so the form is very dependent on the track,” racingnews365 quotes Sainz, who finished behind Leclerc for the first time in a race this year.
