Carlos Sainz admits both Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were decisively quicker during the 2023 F1 Austrian GP Sprint

Carlos Sainz had yet another decent day out at the Red Bull Ring in the 2023 F1 Austrian Grand Prix weekend, with a P3 finish in the sprint race. He was only behind the two Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, respectively.

Ferrari brought in upgrades this weekend that seem to be paying off, as indicated by the growing consistency in pace for the Spaniard. Sainz admitted that he did not have the pace to keep up with the two Red Bulls, although he acknowledged that he is beginning to get more "confident" overall.

In a media interaction post the Austrian GP sprint session, Sainz said:

"Tricky conditions out there. It looked like we had decent pace. I could stay close to Checo, but the Red Bulls were just a bit too quick for us today."

"I think they were maybe a bit quicker, but there was a point in the middle of the race when I felt a bit more confident. My tyres degraded a bit and I couldn't stay close to Checo in dirty air."

The Ferrari driver will be starting the Austrian GP in third on Sunday. With six points in the bag from sprint, Carlos Sainz is poised to further strengthen his position in the drivers' standings.

Ferrari boss reveals the current "priority" for Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc

Amidst rumors about the future of the Ferrari drivers, Carlos Sainz especially, team principal Fred Vasseur admitted that the priority currently remains to "work together." He also emphasized on improving in the championship standings as a team.

Deeming contract conversations to be a "distraction" at this point in time, he told Corriere Della Sera that these discussions will begin during the summer, or even later.

“There are 18 months to go until the deadline. The same goes for Charles. Right now, introducing the renewal topic would be a distraction. I told their managers a couple of weeks ago. The priority is for pilots to work together to develop the machine. Then, during the summer, or later, we'll start talking about it.”

Speaking to Il Corriere della Sera, Vasseur also admitted that he sees Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc as a "winning pair." He reiterated his faith in the current driver line-up of Scuderia.

"I am satisfied with Carlos. He is consistent and provides important technical feedback. With Charles, they form a winning pair. I believe he is very underrated."

Both Ferrari contracts are set to expire at the end of the 2024 F1 season.