Carlos Sainz Jr. won the last race for Ferrari as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had a DNF in Melbourne, Australia. In fact, the Spaniard has been the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race since the previous season. Otherwise, the Dutch superstar has completely dominated the sport. Since 2022, the current reigning champion has won 36 races so far. During his domination so far, Max enjoyed a couple of long winning streaks. On both occasions, the driver who broke his long winning streak was Carlos Sainz Jr. Last year, the Spaniard won the Singaporean Grand Prix.
It was the only non-Red Bull victory in 2023. But in 2024, Max Verstappen was enjoying a two-race winning streak, having won in Bahrain and Jeddah. However, thanks to Carlos, a non-Red Bull victory came a little too soon in 2024. Moreover, F1 fans still fear the Austrian team will come up on top in Japan, which is practically their second home. After all, Honda is the engine partner of the Milton Keynes outfit. But lately, Carlos Sainz Jr. said Ferrari might be closer in terms of pace to Red Bull in Japan.
Can Ferrari Beat Red Bull In Japan?
Recently, in an interview with F1.com, Carlos Sainz Jr. mentioned there is a surprise element in the gap between Ferrari and Red Bull. Moreover, the only non-Red Bull victor since last year added that Ferrari might be closer to the Red Bulls than he anticipated. Hence, he has seen some positive signs in the progress that his team has made in the last five months. In 2023, Max Verstappen was in the pole position and won the race in Suzuka by a gap of almost 20 seconds. That’s why the Spaniard is trying to be as realistic as possible.
Moreover, Carlos Sainz Jr. mentioned that it is still FP1. After all, teams can’t be sure of what the other competitors are running in their fuel loads and engine modes. Even then, Carlos mentioned that Ferrari’s performance has improved vastly from last year. Hence, Ferrari’s FP1 performance in the Suzuka circuit this year was a huge boost for a good starting base. Although it felt good, Carlos Sainz said it would be tough to beat Red Bull this weekend. Now, fans wonder if Ferrari made the right decision to replace the Spaniard with Lewis Hamilton for a new journey starting in 2025.
Carlos Sainz Jr. Expects Mercedes And McLaren To Provide Tough Fights
The Spaniard told F1.com that it will be again tight with Mercedes and McLaren. Moreover, Carlos said Red Bull is still a step ahead. However, this time, they are a smaller step ahead than he thought. Hence, the Ferrari driver expects an interesting and a close battle in Japan.
Last year, in Singapore, when Red Bull failed to maintain their winning streak, there was a close fight among Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren. Ultimately, it was Carlos Sainz Jr. who took home the victory. Next year, which team will enjoy the services of the Spaniard is a question that’s still out there. Still, the future looks uncertain for Carlos Sainz Jr.
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