With the Drivers’ Championship already wrapped up as well as the Constructors’ Championship soon to be, Carlos Sainz says that Ferrari will be using the final four races to experiment for the future.
The Italian constructor has been at the front of the pack throughout the whole season but failed to capitalise on several opportunities which helped Red Bull to gain a strong lead as the year progressed.
Sainz has started from pole position twice with team-mate Charles Leclerc having the most out of any driver this season with nine.
However, the Ferrari duo have only managed to convert a pole position into a race win on just three occasions.
Sainz and Ferrari have identified that Red Bull’s superior race pace is something that they need to start to replicate, saying: “We have a competitive car everywhere we go. This is a fact.
“We are fighting for nearly every pole position, wins are more tricky for some reason. Red Bull, in the race, manage to do a step that we don’t have but we’re working on that.
“We’re taking these last four races to experiment a bit, to see how we can be a bit more competitive in the race, how we can improve our tyre management.”
While the top spot is all but wrapped up, second place in the Constructors’ standings is still to play for with Ferrari currently leading Mercedes by 67 points.
Fourth place in the Drivers’ standings is also up for grabs as Sainz leads George Russell by a small margin of just five points.
“Fifth, fourth, it doesn’t change my life as a racing driver. I only care about obviously winning and having a good season. I know this year hasn’t been easy.
“The setback of Japan also was not ideal. made me lose even more points in this fight. And yeah, I mean, if I can finish fourth, I’ll take fourth but I would prefer to win a race before the end of the year, even if it doesn’t mean I finish fourth.
“I think for us, it’s important to try and win, to get the podiums, to get the consistency. Obviously, this would bring P4 to the table but I’m focusing more on that than on the championship, let’s say.”
