Carlos Sainz 'Depressed' With 'Complicated Car' At Dutch Grand Prix Before Sunday Turnaround

Alex Harrington | Aug 25, 2024

Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Ferrari driver driver Carlos Sainz (ESP) in the pit lane during the practice session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Carlos Sainz's weekend was a difficult one at the Dutch Grand Prix. After a disheartening qualifying session left him nearly a second slower than the pole position, Sainz was discontent with his Ferrari's performance.

"Yesterday we were quite slow, nearly a second off pole, and quite depressed but today the car felt a lot better," Sainz recounted after the Grand Prix, via Sky Sports F1.

Despite starting out of position, the Spaniard managed a commendable fifth-place finish, surpassing expectations and signaling a strong mid-race recovery.

"I moved forward more than I expected, we were quicker than I expected, which showed the strong race we had.

"Let's keep trying, keep pushing to understand this complicated car."

It's fair to say that the Scuderia team haven't quite worked out their car yet, with it seemingly still volatile unlike the McLarens which have a very stable base.

The race at the Zandvoort circuit was a brilliant one. Lando Norris, who started from pole, faced immediate pressure from Max Verstappen who took the lead at the first corner. But the British driver was able to dispatch the Red Bull within the first 18 laps. In fact, it looks like something has changed on the RB20, with the car seemingly struggling with large amounts of understeer.

In the closing laps, Norris solidified his lead, clinching a decisive victory and setting the fastest lap while he was at it, with Verstappen and Leclerc rounding out the podium.

Sainz's teammate Leclerc was impressed with his performance in the broadcasted post-race interview:

"Very surprised! I'm not very often happy with P3 but with today's race we can be extremely happy with the job we have done on a difficult weekend for the team.

"We have been struggling from Friday until the race. In the race we found some more pace, executed a perfect strategy. We undercut two of our competitors, then managed to keep them behind. A really strong race for the team.

"I never thought I would stand on the podium after such a difficult weekend for the team."

This race puts Ferrari solidly in third position in the Constructor's Standings with them 34 points behind McLaren.

2024 Dutch Grand Prix Results

1. Lando Norris - Fastest Lap
2. Max Verstappen
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Oscar Piastri
5. Carlos Sainz
6. Sergio Perez
7. George Russell
8. Lewis Hamilton
9. Pierre Gasly
10. Fernando Alonso
11. Nico Hulkenberg
12. Daniel Ricciardo
13. Lance Stroll
14. Alex Albon
15. Esteban Ocon
16. Logan Sargeant
17. Yuki Tsunoda
18. Valtteri Bottas
19. Zhou Guanyu
20. Kevin Magnussen