Carlos Sainz urges Ferrari to follow a unique potential vs results approach amidst the team's struggles

Carlos Sainz recently spoke about Ferrari's woes in the 2023 F1 season, especially in terms of the team's inability to produce decent results. The Italian team is currently fourth in the constructors' championship and in a tight battle with the likes of Aston Martin, Mercedes, and McLaren.

Though F1 teams and drivers usually look at their results to gauge their position and progress, Carlos Sainz suggests a unique lens through which Ferrari should look at themselves. The approach is to not be too fixated on results and positions and focus more on improving the basic potential that their 2023 challenger has.

As per Motorsport.com, Carlos Sainz initially explained how small lap time differences between teams and drivers cause the race positions to fluctuate so drastically. He said:

"Now you're going through these massive up and downs where some weekends you might be fighting for P3 and others you're just finishing P8, which in performance swing just might mean you are 0.1s in front missing or 0.1s behind that tight field, which is not a lot."

"But the end result looks very different in Ferrari when you come back with a P3 or P8. And now we just need to kind of accept that's the fight that we are in."

Sainz later stated that Ferrari should celebrate where they currently end up in certain race weekends rather than only aiming for podiums and race wins. Lastly, Carlos Sainz emphasized how the Maranello-based outfit should focus more on nailing the basics and the SF-23's potential. He concluded:

"If one weekend we need to go and fight for P5 and that's the maximum we can do, we need to celebrate the fact that we've done the maximum with what we have this year. [We need to] focus more on maximizing the car's potential, and the team's performance in this second half of the season."

"We want to make sure we maximize our constructor points, stop kind of expecting a win or a podium and just focus on nailing the principles and be consistent."

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Charles Leclerc on his relationship with Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz

The Monagasque recently opened up about his relationship with Carlos Sainz, his teammate at Ferrari. Leclerc stated he has seen false assumptions about their relationship on social media platforms. he went on to clarify that he has a good relationship with Sainz and that they share a lot of interests with each other.

Speaking to Autosport, Leclerc said:

“I am quite active on social media, so I see what's been said all around, It's blown out of proportion, I think, with Carlos. We have a great relationship. Outside the car, we know how to work together, and we get on really well together because we share lots of interests."

Charles Leclerc is currently fifth in the drivers' championship with 99 points while Carlos Sainz is seventh with 92 points.