Carlos Sainz says the problems impacting Ferrari's SF-23 are "intrinsic" and can only be solved though fundamental design changes and not through development.
Ferrari's ambitions of challenging Red Bull for the world title this year were crushed as early as the first races of the season when the Scuderia realized that its 2023 contender was no match for its rival's dominant RB19.
On occasion, Ferrari's SF-23 has delivered good performances, especially in race trim, with Charles Leclerc claiming pole last April in Azerbaijan.
But overall Ferrari's car has been an inconsistent proposition for its drivers, a weakness rooted in the design's less efficient aerodynamics, with Carlos Sainz labeling the SF-23 a "a very peaky car", while tyre degradation has also been a factor in the outfit's performance on Sundays.
The team's disappointing results have left it just fourth in F1's Constructors standings behind Red Bull, Mercedes but also Aston Martin. And Sainz believes that the built-in problems undermining Ferrari's cannot be fixed through development, no matter how hard it tries.
"We've done a decent job in terms of development," Sainz told the media on Thursday at Monza.
"If you look at the development race this year, we are up there in terms of cars that have developed the most, and it is clear that the biggest jump has been done by McLaren.
©Ferrari
"But apart from them, normally, we've been lacking against Mercedes and Red Bull in development this year and what we haven't managed to do is take away the characteristics that make our car extremely tricky to drive in certain situations.
"It is an intrinsic problem in the car that you can't take away in development and only take away by design.
"It is not a secret that we've been struggling a lot to drive in unpredictable conditions like when it is windy or in long corners where you spend a lot of time in the corner.
"Also, our tyre problems can come from these, so that is why I say we now understand the problem, understand the main issue and now we need to put everything together to produce a better car."
On the positive side, Sainz says that Ferrari's engineers have a clear understanding of the flaws that need to be corrected, but only time will tell if this can be achieved.
©Ferrari
In the interim, the team and its drivers are sparing no effort to develop for next season a contender worthy of their ambitions.
"I think we fully understand what we want from next year's car, and what characteristics we want it to have," added the Spaniard.
"It is obviously another thing whether we can fully achieve it or not, and we are fully focused in the simulator, in the wind-tunnel and even in free practices to take the time to keep experimenting with things to make sure that we have everything covered for next year's car.
"Don't get me wrong, there is still a Constructors' Championship to fight with Mercedes and Aston Martin over, and we still believe we can come out on top if we do a perfect job.
"But there is also the fact that we need to use these practice sessions to keep trying things.
"At some circuits it is maybe not worth it, like maybe Monza or Singapore, but then there's obviously some where you can definitely learn a lot."
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