This year, the tires supplied by Pirelli, the primary tire supplier for F1, have drawn criticism from many in the paddock. Several teams have faced the problems caused by the tires, and Ferrari is the latest one to join the list. Just as the team looked poised to take home a good haul of points in France, tire degradation struck both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, and they went home empty-handed.

However, their new recruit, Sainz, doesn’t think this was a one-off event. In fact, he thinks it’s a trend, and the team sensed the tire issues all the way back in Bahrain.

Despite qualifying in P5 with his teammate Charles Leclerc in P7, Ferrari endured quite a poor race day. While Sainz finished P11, the Monegasque went home with a lowly P16.

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What did Carlos Sainz say?

Speaking about the tire issues, he said, “It’s been a trend and I would go as far as to say it’s been a trend for years in the team. In December they talked to me about this issue and I let it pass, I didn’t think it was going to be such a big thing—maybe with the new tires in this year everything could change.”

“But it was clear since Bahrain that there is something going on with the car and with the tires that we don’t understand and I felt it pretty much immediately,” concluded the Spaniard.

‘We were expecting to struggle at French GP’: Ferrari director Laurent Mekies

Ferrari’s Racing Director and Head of Track Area, Laurent Mekies has already claimed the Maranello-based team won’t make any further up-gradation to their current machinery. Moreover, the Reds are fully focused on the development of next season’s car.

Meanwhile, after the French GP, Mekies revealed that it was no surprise the Reds struggled at Le Castellet.

“We are expecting to suffer on this set of tracks. We would certainly say that these tracks present a great challenge for us because it’s a way to further check how we correlate, how we prepare, and how we understand our car,” he said.

“Talking about weaknesses, the next big topic for us is to find the same sort of consistent pace at the top of the midfield, also in the race–which has been a bit more of a rollercoaster.”

With a points-less weekend at the French Grand Prix, Ferrari have dropped to P4 in the constructor’s standings, 16 points behind their rivals McLaren.

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What do you think? Can Ferrari make a comeback at Red Bull Ring this weekend? Let us know in the comments section below.