P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Carlos Sainz has denied Ferrari’s one-lap deficit to Red Bull at Formula 1’s Japanese Grand Prix is a setback for
Despite Ferrari’s promising 1-2 finish in Melbourne, Carlos Sainz ended up in fourth place behind the Red Bull drivers and Lando Norris in qualifying in Suzuka. Sainz believes the maximum performance was extracted from the Ferrari SF-24 car for a single lap, noting a 0.485-second gap to Max Verstappen’s pole position time. Although Ferrari expected the high-speed nature of Suzuka to favor their rivals, Sainz is optimistic about their race pace and hopes to challenge for a podium position. He acknowledges that Ferrari may struggle to compete for victory at certain tracks but remains focused on improving performance. Sainz also dismissed the idea of a reality check for Ferrari after Red Bull’s strong showing in qualifying, emphasizing the team’s efforts to maximize their potential. Despite Red Bull’s historically strong race pace, Ferrari showed promising performance on long runs during practice, which could potentially make them a threat on race day.
