Sainz relieved to have Ferrari F1 car he can "attack" with
Sainz took the final step on the podium in Bahrain far behind the dominant Max Verstappen, but only two seconds in arrears of the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez. Sainz's 25-second deficit to Verstappen was half the gap of the same race 12 months ago when Ferrari's tyre management issues and inconsistent handling first came to the surface. Read Also: Formula 1 Sainz: "Pleasant surprise" to keep up with a Red Bull in Bahrain F1 GP Formula 1 Vasseur: Ferrari has clawed back 50% of Bahrain 2023 deficit The SF-23's poor race pace relative to its much more competitive one-lap performance became a theme throughout last season, particularly on the more demanding circuits. Sainz felt it was a "relief" that its successor, the SF-24, is a car he can finally be aggressive with. "It's a bit of a relief because the last race where I was attacking was Austria, and we're talking about 13, 14 races ago," Sain...