Despite finishing fifth in the race, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz was still not content with his result in the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP. However, he is positive about the next race in Miami and says he understands the issues behind his discomfort in Baku.
Speaking to the media, Sainz explained that he was not particularly unhappy with the result but was simply uncomfortable with how the car felt in Baku. He and his engineers at Ferrari sat down to analyze what went wrong for the Spaniard.
Sainz is eager to get behind the wheel and hit the ground running for the Miami GP to confirm their analysis. He said:
"Baku was a difficult weekend, not so much because of the result but more because I didn’t have a good feeling. We have analyzed all the data, and we believe we understand the reasons why I did not feel fully confident in the car. Now, I want to get out on track to confirm what the data tells us. I want to go back to the level of confidence I had in the car in Melbourne, where I was able to run at a consistent pace for the whole race."
Furthermore, Carlos Sainz discussed how the Miami circuit will be slightly trickier to gauge since it has been completely resurfaced. Overall, he is positive and looking forward to the race.
The Ferrari driver concluded:
"Obviously, there are a lot of things to understand at an unusual track like this one, starting with the track surface, which has been completely redone. We will have to check out its characteristics, but I’m confident I can have a competitive weekend, enjoying driving my SF-23 on the limit.”
Carlos Sainz currently stands in fifth place in the drivers' championship, six points behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc.
Ferrari team boss is confident of developing the SF-23
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur is positive that his team will develop the SF-23 further to reduce lap time. He has admitted that the Italian team did not have a great start to the 2023 F1 season. However, he is motivated for the Miami GP and explained how the team will gather data from Baku and apply it in future races, starting with Miami.
As per Gazzetta, Vassuer said:
"We are in the midst of a particularly challenging moment of the season with five races in six weeks from Baku to Barcelona. As a team, work continues both in Maranello and on the track to develop our car package."
He added:
"Miami is another anomalous circuit with low walls and all the pitfalls typical of street circuits, which however both of our drivers really like. This weekend, also relying on the data collected in Baku, I am confident that we will be able to take further steps forward with the SF-23."
Ferrari currently stands fourth in the constructors' championship, behind Red Bull, Aston Martin, and Mercedes.