Ferrari was hopefully that the team was on course for a return to form in Azerbaijan, as Charles Leclerc secured pole in both the Sprint race and Grand Prix.
Unfortunately, Ferrari’s strength appeared to be over one lap, while their race pace continued to be far behind title-leaders Red Bull.
With an upgrade package coming next week for the Italian outfit, Ferrari had hoped that they could get their 2023 season back on course in Imola.
However, Carlos Sainz has now warned that the upgrade package will not be enough for them to get back to their winning ways, as Ferrari will remain far behind Red Bull’s dominant performance.
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“In Imola there will be more changes in the car but honestly I think the difference to Red Bull is too big to recover in a year,” Sainz said.
“But I trust the team and I know that important changes are coming,” he added. “That’s why we have to stay motivated and focused and wait for those changes.”
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner seems to agree that upgrade packages won’t be enough for the grid to be flipped on its head, as Red Bull seems untouchable.
“Last week we heard a lot about upgrades here and there but did the cars get much faster?” Steiner was quoted by Ekstra Bladet.
“Did anyone catch Red Bull?
“We have to be honest – it has been many years since I saw an upgrade that showed a team jumping from P7 to P3. It doesn’t happen. It isn’t magic.”
The Miami Grand Prix has proved to be frustrating for Ferrari as, while Sainz starts in P3, Leclerc suffered two crashes already this weekend, leaving him down in P7 for the start of the Grand Prix.
“Somehow, Leclerc makes a mistake every weekend,” former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher told Sky Deutschland.
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“And if you keep making mistakes like that, it’s difficult in any case to have a say in the world title.”
Despite Leclerc’s woes, Sainz is optimistic that he can have a decent weekend in Miami, having shown significant speed around the circuit last year.
“I know it’s designed in a parking lot so that can’t make it a Spa-type layout,” Sainz said.
“It is what it is. The good thing is that last year I was fast here so let’s see if history repeats.”