Sainz Claims P4 as Verstappen Hinders Ferrari in Qatar Sprint Qualifying
Carlos Sainz will start fourth on the grid for the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race, with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc close behind in fifth. However, Sainz has revealed that his qualifying performance was hampered by Max Verstappen's slow Red Bull during the decisive SQ3 session.
Ferrari appeared promising in practice, with Sainz and Leclerc showing strong pace. However, the team struggled to replicate that performance in sprint qualifying. Pole position went to McLaren's Lando Norris, while Ferrari finished nearly three-tenths of a second off the mark.
Speaking after the session, Sainz described the challenges he faced, particularly during his first flying lap in SQ3, which he was forced to abandon due to Verstappen preparing his tyres ahead of him.
“Unfortunately, we had a situation where I went into Sector 1 and Sector 2 with Max in front, and he was preparing his tyres, so I had quite a bit of dirty air following him,” Sainz explained. “On top of that, the car balance was just off. We picked up a lot of understeer on the medium tyres, which made it hard to turn the car.”
The Spaniard had to cool his tyres and attempt another lap under pressure. Although the understeer persisted, Sainz managed to deliver a lap good enough for P4. “It was not easy, especially with the risk of exceeding track limits, but we got it done,” he added.
Ferrari "Comes Back to Reality" After Practice Hype
Leclerc echoed Sainz’s sentiments, admitting that Ferrari’s lack of pace in sprint qualifying reflected the true competitiveness of their car. “I think we’re coming back to reality after the pace we showed in practice,” he said.
Sainz cautioned against putting too much weight on Ferrari’s promising showing in the single practice session, pointing out the variability of fuel loads and engine modes. “The good news is that the car felt better than expected in terms of balance during FP1,” Sainz said. “But we knew qualifying would be tough, and our rivals proved quicker here.”
Despite Ferrari’s solid starting positions, the team knows it has work to do to unlock the car’s potential and close the gap to McLaren and Red Bull. The Qatar sprint race promises to be a tight battle as the grid lines up with Norris on pole and Verstappen, already crowned world champion for the 2023 season, starting from a surprising sixth position.
Sainz points to Verstappen hindrance after Ferrari 'reality check'