"They just have better package"- Carlos Sainz admits Red Bull will win at F1 Belgian GP even if they visit circuit 10 more times

Carlos Sainz admitted that Red Bull could potentially win the Belgian Grand Prix "ten out of ten" times if they were to return to Spa, given the car's unmatched pace during the race.

Despite starting the race from fourteenth last weekend, reigning world champion Max Verstappen managed to take the lead from the Ferrari driver within the first twelve laps of the race, with no driver dreaming of challenging the Dutchman, allowing him to comfortably secure his ninth race win of the 2022 F1 season.

In a press conference ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz admitted that while it was not long ago that he was able to challenge the Milton Keynes-based team, Red Bull certainly had the "better package" that suited the Spa-Francorchamps circuit:

"or sure, they've been raising the bar a bit, race by race, but it doesn't seem too far away ago when in Austria we outraced them by quite a big margin, and in France, it was me passing the Red Bull of Perez coming from the 20th. And that was only two races, three races ago, no. So I don't believe they've improved so much as they did in Spa."

"I think if we would have to go back to Spa ten times, ten out of ten they would win Spa because they just have a better package for that circuit. But I also feel like we can do things better in those sorts of tracks, that we can maybe close the gap a bit more in those sorts of tracks, and we can learn something from such a difficult weekend, no?"

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Carlos Sainz defends Ferrari despite "questionable" strategic calls

Carlos Sainz recently confessed that while the Scuderia have certainly not always made all the right decisions, he pointed out that the team has not been given credit for the times where the "right calls" have been taken.

Speaking about criticism Ferrari has faced over the past season for their strategic errors, the 28-year-old said:

"It’s very difficult to generalize about where we should have been braver or more cautious. I think you would need to pick one by one and analyze them independently. And I'm pretty sure one by one, every result or every conclusion will be different. Here, maybe we could have been a bit more gutsy, here we could have played a bit safer. For me, it's all about continuous improvement and continuously finding ways to make the right calls at the right time. And there have been a lot of times during the year where we've done the right calls."

Comparing his difficulties at Ferrari to those at his former team McLaren, Carlos Sainz added:

"And I find that a bit tougher in Ferrari. I feel like when I was in McLaren, Toro Rosso, or Renault when there was a big mistake on strategy no one would come and point it out and criticize you and put you down to earth as much as they do in Ferrari. And this is a fact that I think everyone can agree with. While in Ferrari, everything seems bigger. The victory is bigger, the mistake is bigger. And it’s just like that, no. It’s something I'm adapting myself to. And it’s something I need to learn how to react better in the situations.”

Carlos Sainz currently stands fourth in the drivers' standings with 171 points to his name. He has managed to close the gap with his teammate Charles Leclerc to a mere fifteen-point difference.