Ferrari Struggles in Wet Conditions at Brazilian Grand Prix
The Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, were left puzzled by the poor performance of their cars in the wet conditions at the recent Brazilian Grand Prix. Despite the team’s recent success, including Sainz’s victory in Mexico and Leclerc’s triumph in Austin, the Prancing Horse was unable to match the pace of its rivals during the rainy race at Interlagos.
Leclerc salvaged a fifth-place finish, but he was over half a minute behind the dominant race winner, Max Verstappen, who carved his way through the field from 17th on the grid. Sainz, on the other hand, had a miserable weekend, crashing out in both qualifying and the race. The Spaniard was also hit with a stewards’ reprimand for dangerous driving as he attempted to continue despite the marshals already attending to his stricken Ferrari.
“I’ve always been a very strong driver in the wet, but for some reason, ever since I’ve tried this car in the wet, I’ve never had a good feeling with it,” explained Sainz. “I don’t know if we just don’t put energy into the tyres, we run it too stiff in the medium to high speed, or what it is. It is clear that it is very difficult and unpredictable to drive.”
Leclerc, who was hoping to keep Ferrari in the hunt for the constructors’ championship, was equally perplexed by the car’s performance in the wet.
“Really not at all,” he replied when asked if the car did not like the wet or intermediate tyres. “I think I’m partly to blame because obviously we decide the set-ups together with the team. I wanted to go in a direction, however it was the wrong one, for sure. The pace was just not there.”
Despite the disappointment, Leclerc was pleased that his fifth-place finish kept Ferrari second in the constructors’ standings, just 36 points behind leaders McLaren. The team will now have to regroup and refocus for the final three races of the season, including the upcoming event in Las Vegas, as they look to reel in their rivals and claim a first constructors’ crown since 2008.
“We will be alive until the very end,” added Sainz. “Three weekends now coming up that are going to be important for the whole team and now we need to refocus, regroup and see how we can approach these last three races in the best possible way.”
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