"It was good fun, like it should be" - Carlos Sainz says Ferrari needs to 'improve the pace' after taking P3 at 2022 F1 Austrian GP Sprint race

The 2022 F1 Austrian GP Sprint race may have left Ferrari fans confused as Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc battled between themselves instead of working together to overtake Max Verstappen.

Sainz started the race in third, right behind his Ferrari teammate Leclerc, but the two started fighting for track position right off the line. This infighting between the two Scuderia drivers only helped Max Verstappen as the Red Bull driver cruised to victory in Saturday's Sprint race. With the battle taking its toll on the Spaniard and his tires, he finished P3 at the end of the race, which he termed 'good fun.'

In the post-Sprint interview with Naomi Schiff in parc fermé, Sainz said:

“I had a good start and then a couple of fights with Max [Verstappen] into Turn 3 and then Charles [Leclerc] into Turn 3 again later in the race. It was good fun, like it should be, good racing.”

He added:

“I probably overheated the tyres a little bit running behind Charles and I had to back off to recover them and finish the race.”

Carlos Sainz, however, was quick to look beyond the scrap with his teammate and instead said that he hoped Ferrari would improve its pace. Although the battle between him and Leclerc left him bruised from a tire perspective, Sainz appeared to be optimistic. He said:

“We need to improve the pace because Max looked very strong at the beginning. Then little by little it looked like we were starting to match him. Tomorrow is a longer race and anything can happen. The important thing is we are both in the fight and we will try our best to beat Max.”

With the Tifosi debating whether the scuffle between the two teammates cost Ferrari a possible win today, it remains to be seen if and how the Prancing Horse rebounds tomorrow in the main race.

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Carlos Sainz has tarnished Charles Leclerc's 'dominant championship contender' status at Ferrari, feels F1 pundit

TV pundit Harry Benjamin has claimed that Charles Leclerc is no longer the 'dominant championship contender' at Ferrari after Carlos Sainz's maiden win at the 2022 F1 British GP.

The win has helped the Spaniard close the gap to Leclerc to just 11 points in the championship standings, bringing both the drivers to a rather level playing field. After the 2022 F1 Austrian GP Sprint race, this gap has only changed by one point, keeping the British pundit's comments still relevant.

Speaking about the situation at Ferrari, Benjamin said:

“If we’re still saying Ferrari are in this title fight, Sainz is now only 11 points behind Leclerc in the standings. I don’t think you could actually confidently say Leclerc is the dominant championship contender in that team now.”

Coupled with bad luck, Ferrari employing questionable strategy for Charles Leclerc in multiple races so far has not only hampered the Monegasque's title hopes, but also allowed his teammate Carlos Sainz to quickly catch up to him. Consequently, doubts are expected to be raised about Leclerc's ability to sustain a title challenge, making his performance over the next few races critical.

It will be interesting to see which strategy Ferrari will use in Sunday's Austrian GP.