Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz faced a frustrating weekend at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where both struggled to match the pace of their rivals, particularly in the wet conditions.
Leclerc, who started the race in sixth, improved one position to finish fifth. However, he was more than half a minute behind Max Verstappen, who made an impressive charge through the field from 17th to take victory. While Leclerc was able to salvage a top-five result, it was clear that Ferrari's wet-weather pace was nowhere near where it needed to be to compete at the front.
Sainz, on the other hand, had an even more difficult weekend. The Spanish driver crashed out during both qualifying and the race, significantly hampering his chances of a good result. To make matters worse, he received a reprimand from the stewards for dangerous driving after attempting to drive off in his damaged Ferrari while marshals were already on the scene. It was a weekend to forget for Sainz, particularly following his victory in Mexico and Leclerc's win in Austin just weeks earlier in the triple-header.
Sainz expressed his frustration with Ferrari's performance in the wet, stating that he had never felt comfortable with the car in these conditions. "I've always been a very strong driver in the wet, but for some reason, ever since I've tried this car in the wet, I've never had a good feeling with it," he said. Despite this, Sainz was pleased that Leclerc managed to finish fifth, noting that they were both struggling throughout the race. He remained hopeful that future dry races would allow Ferrari to compete more effectively.
Leclerc, meanwhile, acknowledged that he and the team were partly to blame for the car's lack of pace in the wet conditions. While he admitted that Ferrari's set-up decisions were not ideal for the race, he also noted that the car was difficult to drive, making it hard to avoid mistakes. Despite the team's poor performance, Leclerc found some solace in the fact that Ferrari maintained second place in the Constructors' Championship, keeping a 36-point gap to McLaren, who were their closest competitors. "Looking at all this, the only thing we could be a little bit satisfied with is being in front of the two McLarens," Leclerc said, acknowledging that the result could have been worse given McLaren's strong form over the weekend.
Overall, the Brazilian Grand Prix was a disappointing race for Ferrari, with both drivers struggling in the wet conditions and failing to extract the performance they expected from the car. However, despite the setbacks, Ferrari's ability to limit the damage to their position in the Constructors' Championship will be crucial as they look to bounce back in the remaining races of the season.
