In only 4 races, Max Verstappen is pulling away from Red Bull’s closest rival Ferrari. Carlos Sainz, who has been Ferrari’s leading performer this year (appendicitis weekend aside), with 3 podiums, including 1 win, has given up championship hopes already. He feels that the team led by Frederic Vasseur has already lost out on the key make-or-break period.

Verstappen, with his RB20, is once again thumping his rivals as if the rest were in F2 cars. In 2024, Ferrari has made the biggest step to catching up with the Milton Keynes outfit but the SF24 cannot do a good enough job to allow Carlos Sainz or Charles Leclerc a chance at victory as long as Verstappen is racing.

This has led the departing Spaniard to give Ferrari a reality check of where they stand, with the first third of 2024 already lost. “I think they (Red Bull) are definitely going to have an advantage in the first third of the season until we bring one or two upgrades that makes us fight them more consistently,” said Sainz, “But by that time maybe it’s a bit too late with the advantage that they might have on the championship.”

Sainz’s comments come as an ominous reminder for the Maranello outfit to pull up their socks even further. Though he feels the championship might already be out of their hands, gunning for more podiums and possible wins is still on his radar.

Carlos Sainz is optimistic about fighting for wins with Ferrari

The Japanese GP was another reminder of why Carlos Sainz deserves a top seat in 2025. He got a 3rd consecutive podium (leaving out his absence from Saudi Arabia) and outperformed his teammate Leclerc yet again.

“It was a good day for the whole team,” the Ferrari driver said about the Japanese GP podium, “We executed a very solid race and brought home a lot of points, maximizing the potential of our package. We obviously want to fight a bit further up, but if we keep pushing like this, I’m sure we will have more opportunities.”

With the Chinese GP up next, Sainz will be looking to stamp his authority in yet another country. Will he make it a 4th podium in a row?

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