“We're getting stronger and stronger”: Carlos Sainz sends big message to rivals after Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc’s win on home track

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz claimed that his P3 finish alongside Charles Leclerc's win at the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday showcased the Italian team's upward trajectory in the 2024 season. The Spanish driver came agonizingly close to finishing behind his teammate as he pressured McLaren driver Oscar Piastri the entire race in his bid to get P2.

However, it wasn't to be for Sainz as he finished under a second behind the Aussie to cap off a double podium finish in the streets of Monaco.

In his post-race interview with F1TV, Carlos Sainz was all praise for Charles Leclerc, who won his home race for the first time, saying:

"I'm incredibly happy to see Charles win on his home Grand Prix. To be able to share this podium with him in P3 is great for the whole team, and it feels like we're getting stronger and stronger."

While reflecting on his own race, the 29-year-old spoke about the difficulty of overtaking in Monaco, adding:

"It was a tight one and a very bad feeling in lap one which very quickly turned into a really good feeling after getting reinstated in P3. From thereon really, the race pace was as good as we expected, it's just impossible to get past on the streets of Monaco."

Carlos Sainz hails Red Bull as favorite for the season despite Ferrari's resurgence

Carlos Sainz stated that the reigning world champion Red Bull will still be the favorite on normal circuits despite Ferrari and McLaren pushing them close in the last couple of races.

In his post-race press conference, the Ferrari driver pointed out that the Austrian team may not be the dominant force of the last season but were still the favorite in the title race. He said:

"I think my common sense tells me that on normal tracks Red Bull should still be favourites. Domination, like we were seeing, hopefully not. But favorites, yes. And then it will be a very tight fight with both McLaren and us. I think we are all three at a very similar level."

However, Carlos Sainz was optimistic that they could push Red Bull into making mistakes and closing the gap in the races, adding:

"Being within 24 points of the Red Bull in the Constructors, you see that when you put them under pressure yesterday, Max made a mistake in Q3 run two, and Checo was out in Q1. We all just need to be there, you know, to show that these things can happen to Red Bull too. And yesterday is the best example."

After their double podium finish in Monaco, Ferrari have closed the gap to the world champions in their fight for P1 as they are just 24 points behind the Constructors' Championship after eight races.