Scuderia Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz has admitted that he “didn’t expect” his P5 (+32.137s) finish at the 2024 Dutch GP on Sunday. He also revealed that his SF-24 was “quite quicker than he expected“, after being “quite slow, nearly a second off pole” in the qualifiers at the Circuit Zandvoort.
During a disheartening qualifying session, Sainz was nearly a second slower than pole position. This resulted in him starting the race from P10 off the grid in Zandvoort. Despite starting out of position, the Spaniard managed a commendable fifth-place finish, surpassing expectations and signalling a strong mid-race recovery.
After Alexander Albon’s penalty, he started from a challenging tenth place.
In the first stint, he wasted no time, passing Lance Stroll right off the line. By Lap 8, he overtook both Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly to secure seventh position.
As the race progressed into the second stint, he showcased his strategic brilliance on hard tyres. On Lap 47, he executed a stunning late brake move, sailing past Sergio Pérez on the outside of Turn 1. Finally, he moved up to fifth when George Russell pitted for a two-stop strategy.
In the race’s aftermath, the Ferrari #2 briefed on his performance during the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz ‘didn’t expect’ his P5 after ‘difficult Saturday
In the broadcasted post-race interview with Sky Sports, Sainz labelled his P5 (+32.137s) finish a “good result” as he “didn’t expect to have such a positive race” in the Netherlands. Briefing on his race performance, he quoted by saying:
“This is a good result as we didn’t expect to have such a positive race, especially after a difficult start of the weekend.”
“We executed a very solid race all along with good overtakes on track and a fast pace, especially with the hard tire once I cleared the cars ahead.”
Praising his teammate Charles Leclerc, who managed a podium spot, he asserted that Scuderia Ferrari will “definitely arrive to Monza with a high spirit“.
During the same interview, he touched upon Ferrari’s disappointing performance during Saturday’s qualifying rounds. Reflecting on it, he said:
“Yesterday we were quite slow, nearly a second off pole, and quite depressed but today the car felt a lot better.”
Afterwards, he again expressed his views on the Ferrari SF-24’s unexpected performance at the iconic Circuit Zandvoort track. Talking about this, he concluded by saying:
“I moved forward more than I expected, we were quicker than I expected, which showed the strong race we had.”
“Let’s keep trying, keep pushing to understand this complicated car.”
It’s fair to say that the Scuderia team hasn’t fully optimized their car yet. Consequently, it still appears to be volatile compared to the McLarens. In contrast, the McLarens boast a very stable base, highlighting the differences in performance.
Image Credit: Scuderia Ferrari
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