Qatar Grand Prix 2024 Bound To Be Tough Race For Carlos Sainz

“A lot, truth be told, might be on his mind for this one, don’t you think?” Let us assume or say, something like this line or similar to it might be on the mind of the typical fan of Carlos Sainz jr. of Ferrari as the driver with the number 55 inscribed on his suit and car prepares in the next few hours at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Surely, by the looks of it, the about-to-begin 2024 Qatar Grand Prix may not seem him too happy as a person for the simple reason that the Spaniard begins his contest from seventh on the grid.

That’s too sedate or harmless a grid position for a very talented driver like Carlos Sainz to contend with. While there were the usual flashes of speed for the 30-year-old driver at the Lusail international circuit at Qatar as seen on free practice and qualifying, he really wasn’t in a position to bag something remarkable as previously seen on other Saturday sessions.

Resultantly, a P7 is all that the Ferrari driver managed in what actually is his penultimate race with the famed Scuderia stable. What is bound to make it even more challenging out there at Qatar for the man who carries forward a huge legacy is the very fact that he begins the 57-lap race behind Sir Lewis Hamilton.

The Mercedes is sandwiching, where it stands, the two Ferrari drivers. While psychologically Charles Leclerc would be feeling a bit better in having bettered his teammate, who held the edge last weekend over the Monegasque at Las Vegas, it’s still a long race to go.

And surely, even as there’s a real thing called team orders and Ferrari ought to ensure better team communication between the battling duo, Carlos Sainz would want to be a little watchful.

He begins his second-last race with the legendary Ferrari outfit staring at Charles Leclerc with 323 points next to his name, hence a P3 where it stands.

On his part, the former McLaren driver will want to drastically gain on the current tally of 264 points, which see him currently stacked on fifth on the Drivers’ ratings. He is pursuing Oscar Piastri, 276 points, a driver with clearly the edge given a fast car.

That Piastri will likely hold the edge can be established from the fact that the McLaren is a faster car than the Ferrari on straights and often, holds itself well in the corners, even the slow ones. With just two races remaining, including this one at Qatar, there’s so much to play for. Surely, Sainz should be mindful of the fact that he must support his team to offer Red Bull a real fight where it comes to the Constructors standings; the Milton Keynes-based outfit still trailing the Maranello-based one.

But then, there’s something he’d like to prove his detractors as well and it could well mean making swift moves and thus, garnering significant points on the individual drivers’ tally. How far can Carlos Sainz go to balance that act and what part might he prioritise- the team game or the individual point collection will make this race an exciting and maybe even a dramatic one.