The watching world realized what the 2024 season meant for Carlos Sainz Jnr when Ferrari made its bombshell announcement that he would lose his seat to Lewis Hamilton on the finish of the yr. Already a a number of race winner, Sainz was now on the motive force market.
Sainz made a robust begin to this important yr. He began the season on the rostrum with solely the dominant Crimson Bulls forward of him. After an appendectomy pressured him to overlook spherical two, Sainz returned in fashion to win the Australian Grand Prix. In Japan he once more accomplished the rostrum behind the Crimson Bull drivers.
He wasn’t in a position to maintain that kind towards a group mate of Charles Leclerc’s high quality. Sainz adopted Leclerc residence in Shanghai, Miami (the place he was penalised for colliding with Oscar Piastri) and Imola. Whereas Leclerc received in Monaco, Sainz was extremely lucky to succeed in the rostrum, because the crimson flag on the primary lap erased the results of one other tangle with Piastri (he loved an analogous get-out-of-jail-free card after crashing in qualifying at Shanghai).
At instances it felt just like the strain of the motive force market scenario was taking a toll on Sainz, notably in his eagerness to place one over Leclerc. The pair had a number of run-ins over the course of the yr, notably in Spain and Las Vegas, although in the latter case Ferrari’s management of their drivers was questionable.
Carlos Sainz Jnr
| Finest | Worst | |
|---|---|---|
| GP begin | 1 | 20 |
| GP end | 1 (x2) | 18 |
| Factors | 290 | |
Through the center a part of the season, when Ferrari briefly misplaced their method with the SF-24, Leclerc normally confirmed Sainz the way in which. Nonetheless Sainz picked up an opportunistic third place in Austria and confirmed nice really feel for the altering situations at Silverstone. The identical couldn’t be mentioned for his performances within the rain-hit races in Canada and Brazil, which have been simply his weakest weekends of the yr.
Sainz ended the season in higher form. He ought to have joined Leclerc on the rostrum in Baku the place he went out in a late collision with Sergio Perez, then accomplished a Ferrari one-two in Austin. He grabbed his likelihood to take a trendy ultimate win for Ferrari in Mexico, and pushed Lando Norris arduous within the season finale as Ferrari fell brief of their bid to beat McLaren to the constructors’ title.
It might be a while earlier than Sainz may have a automobile that enables him to struggle on the sharp finish once more. However his 2024 efficiency ought to go away nobody in any doubt that he deserves one.
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