Carlos Sainz said Ferrari have Red Bull “in our sights” as the team look to hunt down the reigning champions for second place in the table.
Ferrari catching Red Bull would have seemed fanciful at the start of the year but what would have been even more absurd is Ferrari hunting Red Bull for P2 in the championship. That is the reality we find ourselves in and Sainz has sent a warning to the team he was once a member of.
Carlos Sainz puts targets on Red Bull in Constructors’ fight
Sainz, who drove for Toro Rosso from 2015 to 2017, has contributed 190 of Ferrari’s 441 points and the Scuderia are now just 34 points away from Red Bull in second.
With McLaren looking likely to extend their lead at the top, Sainz reckons their best shot is to go after Red Bull.
“McLaren definitely have the upper hand,” Sainz said. “They are the favourites for winning it.
“We still have Red Bull in our sights, and obviously McLaren, if they start going south or they start having problems we need to keep ourselves in.”
Second may not be the title that Ferrari demands but it would be a fine finish to a season that has waned at points. From Montreal to Zandvoort, Ferrari went seven races without a victory but Charles Leclerc’s success in Italy suggested that a new lease of life had been found.
“I think it would show good resilience by the team,” Sainz said of a possible P2 finish. “After a tough part of the year where we gave up a lot of points and a lot of development curve.
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“But Red Bull are going to come back strong with the upgrades, I think at the end of the season once they’ve understood what they got wrong. Also with their car it’s not going to be easy to beat them either.”
Sainz went on to suggest that the last few races have been a “wasted opportunity” from his side with the former McLaren driver unable to get on the podium since Austria.
“I think in general, the last couple of races have been a bit of a wasted opportunity and I’m not happy with all the things I’ve done in these last few weekends,” he said. “At the same time, you never know what is around the corner and we might be surprised with how we can perform in Austin, Mexico, Vegas and these tracks.
“And also I’m going to give myself optimistic six races left in this long year but going to work on my weaknesses and put myself in a better position for the last six races.”
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