P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Carlos Sainz rued even with set-up changes on his Ferrari the team couldn’t solve its “fundamental issues” at the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix.
Ferrari and its drivers were concerned in advance about the Lusail International Circuit configuration being a challenging track for the team, and their fears have been realized with the Scuderia lagging behind McLaren and Mercedes in all sessions. Despite attempting changes post-Sprint before GP qualifying, Carlos Sainz clarified that there’s not much more Ferrari can do to enhance performance due to existing fundamental issues in balance and speed. Sainz highlighted that despite experimenting with setup and tire preparation, the team has struggled to overcome difficulties in minimum speeds and three-corner balance, particularly in long high-speed corners. Despite their efforts to optimize performance with various tire strategies, Ferrari appears to have reached a threshold in lap time improvement limitations, resulting in a P7 qualifying position for Sainz at the Qatar GP. Sainz expressed dissatisfaction with starting in P7, believing he could have been in P6, and questioned the team’s decision to send him out in Q3 without the potential advantage of a tow, emphasizing the importance of maximizing every opportunity despite potential limitations.
