Carlos Sainz Reflects on “Very Disappointing” Abu Dhabi GP and Ferrari’s P3 Finish

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jnr has openly expressed his profound disappointment with his performance during the final round of the 2023 Formula 1 season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Spaniard finished the race out of the points, a result that ultimately contributed to Ferrari narrowly missing out on second place in the Constructors’ Championship.

The weekend at the Yas Marina Circuit was challenging from the outset for Sainz. A surprise elimination in Q1 during qualifying saw him start the race from a lowly 16th position on the grid. His race performance didn’t fare much better, as he was classified 18th, having pulled into the pits on the penultimate lap with what was later confirmed to be a power unit issue. This point-less finish proved costly for the Scuderia, leaving them just three points shy of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in the constructors’ standings by the season’s end.

A Challenging Conclusion to the Season

Sainz admitted that the final two races of the season, in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, had been personally disappointing, marking an anticlimactic end to what had been a mixed but often promising year for Ferrari. “Today, and indeed the last two weekends, haven’t unfolded as I expected or desired to conclude the year,” Sainz told media representatives, including RaceFans, after the race.

His frustration was palpable, particularly given the narrow margin by which Ferrari lost second place. “Honestly, I’m very disappointed and, naturally, not happy, especially considering how incredibly close we were in the Constructors’ Championship. We absolutely need to convene, meticulously analyze, and understand what could have been handled better today and precisely what factors contributed to our struggles, because the pace this weekend, coupled with the overall feel of the car, was simply not up to par.”

Strategic Gambles and On-Track Struggles

Starting deep within the midfield, Sainz’s race strategy involved two lengthy stints on the hard compound tyres before a late switch to softs. This approach, while unconventional, was a calculated risk born out of necessity. “We commenced the race on the hard compound, banking on it enabling us to execute a one-stop strategy,” he elaborated.

However, this strategy mirrored a recurring theme for Ferrari throughout the 2023 season. “Once again, as we’ve witnessed numerous times this year, whenever we start on harder compounds with our car, we tend to struggle significantly, and today was no exception. Starting from 16th, we genuinely felt we had nothing to lose by trying this aggressive approach, but ultimately, the hard tyre simply didn’t perform for us. The combination of harder compounds at the beginning of the race, navigating through dirty air, and the inherent sliding issues, consistently poses a challenge for our car.”

Recognizing the diminishing prospects of scoring points through conventional means, the team pivoted to a high-risk, high-reward strategy: hoping for a Safety Car intervention. This tactic, often employed by drivers out of position, can drastically alter the race dynamics by bunching up the field and allowing for “cheap” pit stops. “Once it became clear that our chances of scoring points were very slim, we opted to extend our stint and wait for a Safety Car, but unfortunately, it never materialized,” Sainz confirmed. To add insult to injury, the retirement due to a power unit issue further compounded the team’s woes, although Sainz acknowledged, “it’s not like it would have dramatically altered our final standing anyway.”

The Constructors’ Championship: A Just Outcome?

Despite the final disappointment of missing out on second place in the Constructors’ Championship to Mercedes by a mere three points, Sainz believes that third in the standings is a fair reflection of Ferrari’s overall season. “I think it’s a fair assessment,” he stated thoughtfully. “We certainly had our moments throughout the season where our car was quicker. Equally, Mercedes had their periods where they demonstrated superior pace. Overall, perhaps with a touch more reliability here and there – I genuinely believe we had a quicker car on average – but they undeniably proved to be a bit more consistent than us across the entire season.”

Sainz highlighted the significant progress made by the Maranello-based squad. “I believe this season marks a period of substantial progress for the team. We’ve extracted a great deal of valuable knowledge from this particular car and gained a deeper understanding of these tyres. Crucially, we’ve concluded the season on a far stronger note than where we began, and that’s a solid foundation we can build upon for next year, anticipating, hopefully, a significantly more competitive package.”

Lessons Learned and Eyes on 2024

The 2023 season saw Ferrari undergo considerable evolution, particularly in addressing the early-season tyre degradation issues and improving race pace. While the Scuderia secured a memorable victory with Sainz in Singapore, their consistency often lagged behind that of Mercedes and the dominant Red Bull Racing team. The final result in Abu Dhabi serves as a stark reminder of the fine margins in Formula 1 and the critical importance of every single point, especially in a tight championship battle.

For Carlos Sainz, the introspection after Abu Dhabi will be crucial. His performance fluctuations, from qualifying pole positions to early exits, illustrate the complexities of extracting consistent performance from the current generation of F1 cars. The emphasis on detailed analysis mentioned by Sainz underscores the team’s commitment to continuous improvement. Identifying the root causes of their struggles with specific tyre compounds, understanding the car’s behavior in dirty air, and refining strategic decision-making will be paramount for Ferrari’s technical and sporting departments ahead of the 2024 campaign.

The team’s journey from a difficult start to a stronger finish provides a hopeful narrative. Learning from the intricacies of the SF-23 chassis and its interaction with the Pirelli tyres will be invaluable in developing its successor. With the 2024 season looming, Ferrari will be eager to translate these lessons into a car capable of challenging for victories more regularly and, crucially, maintaining a consistent threat at the very top of the Constructors’ Championship standings. The ambition remains clear: to return to the pinnacle of Formula 1, and the painstaking analysis of challenging weekends like Abu Dhabi will be a cornerstone of that pursuit.

2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Further Insights:

Mercedes’ team photo shows we still have a long way to go on diversity – Hamilton
Why luck was a factor in Perez’s penalty for “joke” comment
Bottas and Zhou see encouraging signs from overhauled 2024 car
Only Verstappen got the best from his car every weekend, rival team bosses admit
How Sainz suffered the worst season finale for a driver since Schumacher in 1997

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