Carlos Sainz has outlined that his main target for the opening races of the 2024 Formula 1 season is to produce a stronger start than he has in recent campaigns.
Ferrari had begun the latest ground effect regulations introduced in 2022 with the fastest package, with Charles Leclerc bagging two victories from the first three races.
Although Sainz would overcome his nascent struggles to land his maiden pole and win later in the season, his improvement came as Ferrari’s competitiveness regressed.
Ferrari’s trend would reverse in the past campaign as the Italian marque recovered from a tumultuous start to land the sole non-Red Bull triumph with Sainz in Singapore.
But from a personal perspective, Sainz has revealed how he placed an onus on understanding Ferrari’s 2024 car in testing to avoid encountering another sluggish opening.
“Without a doubt, my number one priority is to start the year off well,” Sainz told the Spanish newspaper AS. “It’s something that perhaps in the last two or three years I haven’t been able to do and that’s why I put so much emphasis on understanding the car in testing.
“I understood everything I wanted to understand and I felt everything I wanted to feel.
The Maranello-based squad had endeavoured to address the wind-sensitive limitations that were embedded in its predecessor with a complete revamp on the SF-24.
But despite topping the times in winter testing, Sainz contends that Ferrari is not in a position to challenge for race wins as Red Bull remains the benchmark team.
“The SF-24 gave us a much better feeling than the SF-23,” Sainz confirmed.
“Is it enough to beat Red Bull? No, I honestly don’t think so, but we’ll have to wait for the first race to find out. I think Red Bull will be one step ahead and their times on the C3 tyre prove it.”
The Spanish driver is gearing up for his fourth and final season with Ferrari following the groundbreaking news this month that Lewis Hamilton will replace him in 2025.
However, Sainz believes that could be advantageous for him as he can fixate on the present without getting bogged down in development meetings on next year’s car.
“I would first of all like to define my future to be clear about where I will go and what awaits me,” he added. “After that, I’m sure the focus will change a little, because I know that this season I just have to focus on the present.
“They won’t rely on me much for the development of the car and this allows me to focus solely on getting the best out of the SF-24 and myself.”
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