Sainz pleased to wear blue instead of red in 2025.

      "I didn’t anticipate this at the beginning of the season."

      Carlos Sainz expresses satisfaction with being in a blue car instead of a red one in 2025. Current Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc echoed the increasingly troubling situation at the Maranello team on Saturday, repeatedly exclaiming, "My God," over the radio. He, along with Lewis Hamilton, was unable to reach Q3 during their home race. Team principal Frederic Vasseur pointed to the tyres, stating, "It’s almost a copy-paste of what happened two weeks ago in Miami. We weren’t able to improve with the new set of tyres, and we recorded the fastest lap with the first set in Q2. Why? If we knew, we would have already fixed it."

      Leclerc showed his frustration in response to Vasseur’s comments, saying, "You can change the tyres, but the car simply doesn’t function. The potential isn’t there." A reporter asked Vasseur if the upcoming upgrade package in Barcelona might be a turning point. He replied, "If I say yes, then I’m foolish given what we saw today," referring to qualifying.

      Even Carlos Sainz, who was moved to the Williams team after Ferrari replaced him with Hamilton, managed to qualify ahead of both Ferrari cars in Imola. "I didn’t expect that at the start of the season," the Spaniard said with a smile. "I had a lot of confidence in the (Williams) project based on the figures they provided, but to be ahead of the Ferraris for the second consecutive race? If you had told me this before the season began, I would have signed the Williams contract even quicker than I did."

      In an interview with Corriere dello Sport, Sainz expressed optimism that Ferrari would eventually "resolve their issues," adding, "If they reach out to me in the future, I’ll return." However, some are beginning to doubt Ferrari’s stalled progress under Vasseur’s leadership. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who knows the experience of being ousted from Ferrari, told Sky Italia in Imola, "Ferrari is a privilege and a responsibility, but we must allow Vasseur to do his job."

      One journalist boldly suggested to Vasseur that Ferrari’s weakness in 2025 appears to lie in the rear suspension, amidst rumors of a new layout being developed at Maranello. The Frenchman humorously replied, "What I appreciate about journalists is that I learn more from you than from the team during race weekends. We’re not where we want to be, but there isn’t a single flaw in a car, just as winning cars don’t have a magic formula. We’re working and striving to improve, but there won’t be a miraculous solution."