P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Sainz: Final races put "dark patch" on 2023 F1 season
Carlos Sainz had a challenging weekend in Las Vegas due to a water valve incident during practice. Despite teammate Charles Leclerc’s strong performance, Sainz could only manage a sixth-place finish. His troubles continued in Abu Dhabi, where he crashed during FP2 and started the race from 16th position. Sainz attempted a different strategy with the hard tires but failed to score points and retired due to a power unit issue. Overall, he expressed disappointment with the last two races, as they overshadowed an otherwise consistent and strong season. Sainz acknowledged the need to analyze his performance and bounce back stronger for the next races. Additionally, he shared his frustration at Ferrari narrowly missing out on second place in the constructors’ championship.