Carlos Sainz has vowed to “work on my weaknesses” as he bemoaned “wasted opportunities” over recent Formula 1 races when his Ferrari car has been competitive.
Sainz maximised his prospects during the summer amid Ferrari enduring a mishap in development to close to five points behind team-mate Charles Leclerc in Britain.
But since the Italian marque rediscovered its competitiveness, Sainz has been unable to match Leclerc and trails 55 points below with six rounds remaining this term.
The Spaniard has experienced a rough patch since the campaign resumed at Zandvoort last month as he has amassed a meagre 28 points compared to Leclerc’s 68.
Leclerc capitalised on Ferrari‘s renewed level with its updated SF-24 car to record an emotional win on the team’s home soil at Monza and was on the podium in Baku.
Sainz, who missed out on a podium in Azerbaijan when he clashed with Sergio Perez, has conceded he has been unsatisfied with his performances over recent races.
“Yeah, I think in general, the last couple of races have been a bit of a wasted opportunity,” Sainz told media including Motorsport Week post-race in Singapore.
“I’m not happy with how things have gone on these last two weekends.”
However, Sainz hopes Ferrari controlling the high-speed bouncing which blighted it earlier this term will see it be more competitive than expected in the closing races.
“At the same time, you never know what there’s around the corner,” he continued.
“And we might be surprised with how we can perform in Austin, Mexico, Vegas and these tracks.
“So I’m gonna keep myself optimistic. Six races left in this long year; I’m gonna work on my weaknesses and put myself in a better position for the last six races.”
Sainz reveals key to overcoming recent dip
Expanding upon his recent dip, Sainz highlighted that improving his execution over a single lap was essential to heightening his and the team’s prospects in race trim.
The three-time F1 race victor has qualified behind Leclerc at each round since the summer break and is 12-5 down in the head-to-head in their last campaign together.
“I just try and feel a bit more confident going into turn one and in qualifying, because clearly these last few weekends haven’t been the best approach,” he explained.
“So, yeah, I’m hopeful that we can qualify a bit further up like we were doing at the beginning of the year, and that makes the whole weekend a lot easier.
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