Sainz sets out his strategy, after giving Ferrari 'a reality check'

Although Ferrari started well this weekend, some issues were visible during qualifying. Nevertheless, the pair remain in the top 10, with Carlos Sainz starting from P4, and Charles Leclerc from P6. Speaking to GPblog, Sainz outlined whether a podium is possible this weekend, after he warned the team they would need a 'reality check'.

Ferrari topped the charts on Friday, with Sainz finishing in the top three during both free practice sessions. After some tough weekends, the team have continued to change the car's package. Nevertheless, their performance was no surprise for Sainz, who even knew they wouldn't be able to maintain Friday's performance: "Yesterday I was trying to keep everyone a bit calm because I knew that today probably some reality checks were going to happen and we saw it," he said. "Maybe with very high temps we could be a bit closer to the leaders but as soon as everything cooled down, three or four tenths was the gap that we've had to Lando [Norris] all weekend and three or four tenths was the gap in quali through every single run."

This season, Ferrari have had two wins, Sainz in Australia, and Leclerc in Monaco. Although they sit second in the Constructors, recent performances have been damaging, such as their double DNF in Canada. Whilst Sainz has featured on the podium since Monaco, his teammate has not. This, coupled with McLaren's strong performances and consistent top scoring, has left a gap of just seven points between the two teams in the Constructors. Asked by GPblog whether a podium could be possible on Sunday, the Ferrari driver lacked optimism: "In terms of pure pace, no. If it's a normal race, top three are three or four tenths quicker. 70 laps. Do the calculation and you have a lot of seconds in front of us," he explained. "If something happens up front, one or two cars DNF or have mistakes, I'll hopefully be the first one to capitalise on it if I do a good start," the Spaniard concluded.