Carlos Sainz approaches Silverstone with caution

From Montreal, the performance of the SF-23 has been constantly improving, and it even allowed Charles Leclerc to reach the second step of the podium in Austria. However, this track has more or less always suited Ferrari in the previous years and a confirmation of good performance is expected in Great Britain. Nevertheless, Ferrari drivers, and especially Carlos Sainz, are moving forward without really knowing what the weekend will bring. The Spaniard hopes to have the performance to confirm the developments, but the Silverstone circuit could bring out the weaknesses of the Ferrari.

However, Carlos Sainz greatly praises the team’s progress in car development and reminds that Austria is a favorable circuit for Ferrari. « What I can tell you is that the car feels better in Austria, both in a single lap and during the race. But we were also very fast in Austria last year, so I remain cautious and I will wait for the other circuits and the season to analyze it. But I am proud of how the team has reacted and the improvements we have made recently » he said.

« The more oversteer jerks there are, the more moments there are during the race, the worse the tire management will be. We were struggling to manage that. Austria was much better. Dirty air is also something that affects us a lot. As you can see, there are a lot of things that we are trying to master,” » explained the Spaniard.

There is inevitably some improvement at Ferrari, both in tire management and in pure speed. But still far from Red Bull, the prancing horse team will have to put in more work in order to hope to compete for victory on a regular basis.

Silverstone may not be suitable for the SF-23

Silverstone is one of those open and quite windy circuits that don’t suit the Ferrari. Sainz explains that the Ferrari may encounter some difficulties this weekend in Great Britain but will still seek to optimize and make their package work. « Normally, we have had more difficulties in windy conditions, like in Miami or Baku, sometimes during the race » he recalled.

However, the Spaniard sees an opportunity here to observe the weaknesses and correct them. « “I think we need a more open and windy circuit like Silverstone to evaluate our car. I think we need more samples to assess the progress of our upgrade program,” explained the Spaniard.

Moreover, he believes that the characteristics of these windy circuits lead to severe tire degradation. « I don’t think we’re doing anything particularly wrong with the tires. I think it’s more about how our car behaves in the race with the wind, with the instabilities we have » explained Carlos Sainz.

At Silverstone, Pirelli is introducing a new type of tyre, which is more durable and has already been discovered by the drivers. Nobody really knows the impact of these on performance. « I think it will be very important to assess this during the free practice sessions, to see what the difference is in terms of tyre degradation, if we need to adjust the car to these new constructions. We will see afterwards. But we still don’t know if it will be an advantage or a weakness », declared Charles Leclerc, still uncertain. Friday’s tests will be crucial for Ferrari, and for the others.