Sainz: Ferrari need more in 2024 and a better racing car!

But Leclerc bounced back in 2022, ending the season P2, with Sainz P6. Last year Charles had the better of Carlos in the final stretch of the campaign as the pair ended 2023 in P5 and P7 respectively. Disappointing.

However not all bad news for long-suffering Tifosi. After all, Ferrari is in the umpteenth stage of rebuilding the sport's oldest team. Fred Vasseur is one year into the job in this chapter of the Scuderia's illustrious history. The Frenchman is tasked to turn around the 'ship' and turn the team into a winning machine again.

While their drivers did not shine on the individual standings, as a team they did enough to finish third in the 2023 F1 WCC, pipped by Mercedes but all soundly trounced by Red Bull.

However, on the bright side of an otherwise bleak on-results season, it was Sainz and Ferrari that claimed the only victory in 22 rounds, his triumph in Singapore, the rest going to the Blues.

Ahead of the New Year, speaking to AS.com, Sainz reckoned: "I go to races to try to win them all. I am realistic, with the current level of drivers and teams, winning a race is very complicated. We have seen it in recent years. The goal is greater than that.

"Yes, we must be proud that in 2023, the only victory outside of Red Bull is mine. We are doing things well, but we must not settle, we must go for more in 2024," he insisted.

On a personal note, he added: "My best year in F1? Not yet. There have been seasons like 2019 in which I was even better. There are still things in the F1 cars of this generation, from 2022, that I find difficult to fully understand and maximize in terms of my driving and my set-up of the car.

"But in this new generation, for sure 2023 is much better than 2022. I have to continue improving in certain things, also knowing that the progress I have made this year has been great and good. Better than 2022. Similar to 2021, with higher and lower peaks than that season.

"For the victory and the podiums, which were very high peaks, and then lower moments. In 2021 I was even more consistent than this year. But I would say that the victory in Singapore and the podium at Monza count for a lot."

Asked how fans can be convinced by a sport in which one team wins 22 of the 21 GPs, Sainz ventured: "Behind Red Bull, we have seen a very good example of how beautiful Formula 1 can be.

"A team like McLaren started last and ended up dominating the field behind Red Bull, and a team like Ferrari takes pole positions, fights against Red Bull for the win. But then in other races, one is 50 seconds away from victory.

"This is what is difficult to understand about Formula 1. And Mercedes, in the race they are sometimes as fast as Red Bull, but then other times, like in Brazil, they degrade, and it is not understood why. It is the uncertainty, the variability of a beautiful F1.

"Unfortunately there is a team that dominates and does not have that variability, which is Red Bull. And they dominate all races, except in Singapore."

That victory at Marina Bay Circuit was Sainz's second in the top flight in 153 GP starts, and very sweet as he recalls: "It's something I'm proud of. More than because I was the only one. But the manner we did it. It would have been very easy, under the pressure of that moment, to have tried something different to try to win.

"Instead, we stayed calm and the team did a perfect job in the pitstops, with the strategy. Under the pressure of knowing it was probably the only chance to win a race, we got it right. We didn't fail at anything. That makes me feel proud of myself and the team."

Looking ahead to the 2024 F1 season, Sainz wants more: "It has been said that it is a car that suits me well, which is good. But honestly, the [SF-23] gave me headaches, it's very difficult to understand. I did not enjoy driving it, I have had to adapt to many things and I have had to try many set-ups. I hope that in 2024 it will be a more versatile car and easier to develop and setup. May we have a better racing car!"

Sainz enjoyed the upper hand in the battle between teammates. But Leclerc's two P2s at the end of the season, while his teammate stumbled meant the standings were reversed by the time the lights went out at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Asked is Ferrari's driver line-up was the strongest on the grid, Sainz replied: "Perhaps I am influenced by the fact that I am one of the two drivers but I will think yes. I will recommend Ferrari yes. But in addition to being fast and good, I do know that I get on very well with Charles.

"We respect each other a lot on the track and we both put Ferrari first. We have been together for three years and there has not been an incident on the track. We were always close to each other.

"I think that all the other teams will see it as a strong point for Ferrari. I don't know if there is a side in the media or among the fans that thinks that having two fast drivers together, close to each other, is a negative thing.

"But if you go to the ten main F1 teams, and all the people who understand this sport, and ask them what the ideal situation is in terms of driver lineup, they will tell you that you should always have the two fastest drivers possible and that they are also respected and there are no problems.

"If we are the two fastest it is impossible to know, but we have respected each other, concluded Sainz.

Harmony between F1 teammates tends to exist when the stakes are NOT the F1 world title, as together they grapple to get their cars to the sharp end. Victories scarce. However, things relationships between drivers who share a pit garage change when winning cars are at their disposal.

However, that's not the case at Ferrari right now. When it is, if two prancing horses in the same paddock clash, Sainz might fancy a new beginning at Audi.

In closing, it's worth noting that Sainz's showing in 2023 impressed team principals, as a result, he moved up a position in the TPs top ten list. But Leclerc remains a more desirable option, although he dropped a couple of spots in their estimations.