Carlos Sainz has demanded Ferrari keep itself within reach of McLaren and Red Bull in the F1 constructors' championship - just in case the current leaders "start going south".
Ferrari lies third in the standings, 75 points behind McLaren with six races remaining, whilst Red Bull is only 34 points ahead of the Scuderia.
Red Bull is firmly in Ferrari's "sights" ahead of the United States Grand Prix, with Sainz accepting McLaren is favourite to collect its first constructors' crown since 1998.
McLaren has been the strongest team since the end of the summer break, notably winning the last two races.
Sainz has recognised, though, McLaren may yet falter. If it does, Ferrari needs to be in a position to capitalise.
"I think McLaren definitely has the upper hand and they are the favourites for winning it [the title]," Sainz told select media including RacingNews365.
"We still have Red Bull in our sights. And McLaren, if they start going south or having problems, we need to keep ourselves in it."
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Sainz focuses on 'good Ferrari resilience'
Should McLaren maintain its form, Sainz is at least hopeful Ferrari can beat Red Bull to second in the standings.
Finishing second would be seen as a positive step by the iconic outfit given its mid-season blip, triggered by its Spanish Grand Prix upgrade re-introducing bouncing.
However, Sainz is expecting Red Bull to bounce back in the remaining six rounds following the introduction of an upgrade package at the Circuit of the Americas.
When asked if finishing second would be a positive consolation for Ferrari, Sainz said: "I think it would show good resilience by the team.
"You know, after a tough middle part of the year where we gave up a lot of points and a lot of development curve there.
"Red Bull are going to come back strong with the upgrades I think at the end of the season, once they've understood what they got wrong with their car.
"So it's not going to be easy to beat them either."
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It has been a year since Max Verstappen won his third F1 title - with six grands prix to spare. Now Verstappen is in a fight this year, and with Red Bull under pressure to deliver him a car to retain his crown. Join RacingNews365's Ian, Sam and Nick as they discuss this and more ahead of the final six races.
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