Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has said that a strong performance from Carlos Sainz at the Dutch Grand Prix has given him confidence going into the team's home race at Monza next weekend.
Sainz managed to battle his way through tough conditions to finish fifth, after he managed to hold off Lewis Hamilton at the end, who looked to be driving a very fast Mercedes.
Despite the performance of Charles Leclerc, who admittedly had damage for the majority of the race before retiring when the car was in 15th, Vasseur has told Gazzetta that he is enthused by Ferrari's performance in Zandvoort.
"Sainz's fifth position is a good result considering the conditions," he said. "We remain confident for Monza, a very difficult weekend for us.
"Leclerc had a contact on the first lap with [Oscar] Piastri who he caused damage to the wing and the underbody which then forced him to retire. Sainz did instead an excellent last stint, keeping Hamilton behind. With these conditions, his fifth position can certainly be considered a good result."
Ferrari need more at Monza
It's been a difficult season for Ferrari, with their two drivers sitting 5th and 6th in the driver standings
Being an Italian team in Formula 1, and a legendary one at that, the eyes of the Italian media are constantly on Ferrari and team boss Vasseur.
None more so than at Monza, where the team are expected to give their adoring fans something to celebrate, just as Leclerc did in 2019 when he won the race.
They may not be in a position to challenge Max Verstappen and Red Bull for the race win this time around, but a podium for one of their drivers would be well timed and would restore a bit of faith in the team.
"Monza? I hope that a different result can be obtained, also because we will race on a completely different circuit from Zandvoort. We will have to prepare ourselves in the best possible way to obtain a result that is up to par," Vasseur said.
"As far as developments are concerned, we must do our best to change the situation, restructuring the car system and trying to get the most out of the car we have, without thinking about the legacy of the past."
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