Carlos Sainz was left frustrated with Ferrari’s performance at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, despite finishing in third place. The Spanish driver, who will be leaving the team at the end of the season, reflected on what he described as a “bizarre” pit lane incident that played a major role in his race. Sainz had started the race from P2, but by the midway point of the race, he had dropped to third, behind George Russell and Max Verstappen.
As the race unfolded, Sainz was under increasing pressure from Lewis Hamilton, who was driving a fast Mercedes. Sainz requested a second pit stop to ensure he could hold off Hamilton and maintain his position, but after Ferrari initially called him in, his engineer unexpectedly told him to stay out. This last-minute change of strategy caused a mix-up in the pit lane, forcing Sainz to bypass the pit entry. In a heated exchange over the team radio, Sainz shouted, “What happened?!” as his engineer explained, “We were not ready.” The frustration was clear as Sainz urged the team to “wake up.”
Despite the pit stop mishap, Sainz managed to finish third, securing valuable points for Ferrari. Together with teammate Charles Leclerc’s P4 finish, Ferrari made up ground on McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship, cutting the gap to 24 points with two races remaining in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Reflecting on his performance, Sainz noted that Ferrari simply “didn’t execute” as they had hoped. He acknowledged that Mercedes was the quicker car over the weekend, and despite Ferrari’s best efforts, tire graining became a major issue. This prevented Sainz from fully exploiting the pace of his car, meaning he could not challenge for a higher position.
Looking ahead to the final races of the season, Sainz expressed cautious optimism. While he believes Ferrari will continue to struggle in Qatar, he emphasized the importance of maximizing every available point. He expects McLaren, Mercedes, and even Red Bull to perform strongly in the remaining races. Despite the setbacks, Sainz’s determination to extract the maximum from Ferrari’s current form remains intact.
