"This is not luck, it is a whole other story"- Ferrari boss unhappy with Carlos Sainz’s P16 qualifying result

Following the Abu Dhabi GP qualifying session, Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur expressed deep dissatisfaction with Carlos Sainz's recent crashes, citing concerns beyond mere "luck".

Sainz's Q1 elimination from the qualifying session was the third time in the last two race weekends that he suffered a similar fate.

The Spaniard's misfortunes began during the Las Vegas Grand Prix when a crash in the first practice session resulted in a 10-place grid penalty. Unfortunately, he replicated the incident in the FP2 of the Abu Dhabi GP, with an early crash causing yet another delay.

During the Abu Dhabi GP qualifying session, Carlos Sainz found himself in the drop zone in the final moments of Q1, managing only a 15th place on his last lap.

The situation worsened as Red Bull's Sergio Perez improved his time, pushing Sainz further down to the 16th position.

This left Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur disappointed. The Frenchman, in an interview with Sky Sports F1 following the qualifying, dismissed attributing Carlos Sainz's struggles solely to luck. When questioned about the persistent string of unfortunate events since the manhole cover incident in Vegas, Vasseur stated:

"You don't have to put everything on luck. I think today it was more the out lap, the traffic and the fact that it was not the right position at the right moment."

He added:

"I can put the drain cover on the luck, but this is not luck. It is a whole other story."

Vasseur emphasized the increasing competitiveness in F1 in recent years. He said:

"It's true that the pack is getting more and more tight. Five years ago when you were making a mistake you'd be P3 or P4. Today you make a mistake and you're P19.

"The two McLarens were out in Q1 last week. It means that it's really really getting more tight and you have to put everything together."

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An unhappy Carlos Sainz reacts to his Q1 exit from Abu Dhabi GP qualifying

Following the race, Sainz expressed frustration over his P16 finish. Hinting at some of his rivals intentionally compromising his qualifying session, the Spaniard said (via Crash.net):

"Between us drivers, we know. We know that if you do a corner one or two seconds in front, you're going to make them lose a tenth or two in the corner."

He added:

"But you know you're giving him dirty air and you know you're giving him a bad run in that corner. Everybody is doing it. If you put yourself in a bad track position, you're going to suffer more."

Carlos Sainz's early exit deals a significant blow to Ferrari's aspirations, especially as they are aiming to overcome the four-point deficit to second-placed Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship during the season's final race.

With George Russell and Lewis Hamilton both starting the Abu Dhabi GP from better positions than Carlos Sainz, the battle for runner-up would be one to keep an eye on during Sunday's race.