P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Carlos Sainz has his sight set on a podium finish in Formula 1’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix despite not making
Ferrari showed impressive speed during practice, positioning them as Red Bull’s top rival for pole position heading into qualifying. Despite their strong showing, Charles Leclerc had to settle for second on the grid, trailing behind Max Verstappen. Carlos Sainz qualified fourth, just behind George Russell and ahead of Sergio Perez. Sainz expressed disappointment in the team’s qualifying performance, noting a lack of improvement in Q3 compared to Q2. He remained optimistic about Ferrari’s race pace improvements for the grand prix, aiming for a podium finish. Sainz acknowledged the challenge of competing with Red Bull’s Verstappen in the race, emphasizing the need for Ferrari to maintain performance consistency. Although confident in Ferrari’s progress compared to the previous year, Sainz highlighted the formidable race pace of Red Bull and stressed the importance of Sunday’s race in determining their true competitiveness.
