“I trust Ferrari”: Carlos Sainz backs his underfire team to not ‘panic’ and bounce back

Carlos Sainz has expressed his faith in Ferrari and their ability to bounce back after a dismal start to the 2023 season. The Scuderia team has failed to impress in the opening two races of the year, having performed poorly in Bahrain and Jeddah.

Charles Leclerc dropped out of Bahrain's season opener due to a reliability issue and finished the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP in P7 after starting the race in P12 due to an engine penalty. Sainz failed to impress in his SF-23 either, putting the team's title hopes in doubt. Both cars had a disappointing pace on the hard compound tires compared to their rivals.

The Scuderia team doesn't look to be in title-challenging form just yet given their reliability woes.

Sainz, however, claims he trusts Ferrari and is confident they will bounce back in the coming races. As per Motorsport-Total.com, the driver said about his team's woes:

"It's the race pace, it's the tire wear. We know that and we will eradicate it. I have confidence in my team and trust the development plan. I trust the conclusions we draw. I trust Ferrari. We were just not good enough [in Bahrain and Jeddah]. I wasn't super strong in the first two races either."

Internal leaks responsible for negative press for Ferrari after Bahrain GP

Certain members of the Ferrari team are believed to have deliberately leaked information, resulting in the negative press following the 2023 Bahrain GP. During the race, Charles Leclerc was forced to withdraw due to a power unit issue, while Carlos Sainz finished in fourth place.

Shortly after the race, contract details of some Scuderia employees were made public, allegedly due to an internal leak.

Team principal Fred Vasseur reportedly remains unaffected by the leaks but acknowledges the need to address the issue. The leaked information included the contract status of aerodynamicist Enrico Cardile, whose contract is set to expire soon.

The individuals behind the leaks are believed to hold a grudge against upper management. The team's performance has been lackluster in Jeddah, and their future in the sport is uncertain.

It remains to be seen whether the Italian powerhouse will be able to reclaim its position at the top of the racing world. As it stands, Red Bull is the clear title favorite in 2023, with no other team within touching distance just yet.