Ferrari drivers optimistic despite McLaren’s early edge in Sao Paulo
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are keeping a positive outlook for the remainder of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend despite being outpaced by McLaren in Friday’s sprint qualifying session.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris locked out the front row for Saturday’s 30-minute mad dash, with the former taking pole position and finishing over a quarter of a second ahead of Leclerc, who will start third, with Sainz lining up fifth.
Reflecting on Ferrari’s mixed results and the challenges of a rapidly cooling track, Sainz noted that Friday's sessions were tricky, making it hard to bring the tyres into an optimal window.
However, the Spaniard pointed to the Scuderia’s recent success in Austin where the Italian outfit struggled initially before dominating proceedings on Sunday.
"It was super tricky with the track temperature dropping, the tyres were really difficult to get in the window," commented Sainz, speaking to F1TV after sprint qualifying.
"We had a good improvement in SQ2 with the medium [tyre], we only did one lap on those tyres, which will serve us well the rest of the weekend. And then on the soft, a bit of lap time to find.
“But in Austin I remember we were weak on softs on Friday, and then for qualifying we managed to find some extra.
"So that is the plan - to try and find, for tomorrow in qualifying, something more in the soft [tyre]."
Meanwhile, Leclerc was pleased overall with his performance, feeling he’d maximized Ferrari’s potential even if McLaren proved hard to catch. The 27-year-old reflected on how Ferrari may be on the back foot but emphasized the importance of securing strong points.
“I’m happy because we have maximised the result,” he said. “I don’t think anything was there to do better.
“The McLarens are so fast, so we are a little bit on the back foot this weekend, and it will be important to take strong points anyway.”
When asked if McLaren’s pace made them unbeatable for the remainder of the weekend, Leclerc remained cautiously optimistic, hoping Ferrari could still challenge their rival as the weekend unfolds.
“I don’t like saying it like this so early on in the weekend, so we’ll give it everything to put the challenge on them,” he stated. “But seeing the pace they’ve shown, I think they were particularly strong.”
Looking ahead, Ferrari is focused on making incremental improvements, with both drivers hopeful that adjustments in tire strategy and setup can bring them closer to McLaren’s formidable pace.
As Sainz and Leclerc head into Saturday’s sprint, they’ll be aiming to capitalize on any gains they can find, knowing that maintaining a positive outlook and adapting their approach could help Ferrari turn the tables in Brazil.
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