Starting from the bottom of the grid has not been an impediment for Carlos Sainz to come back at the speed of light in front of his fans aboard a Ferrari that performed very well… but not at the pace of Verstappen.
In a matter of a week, Carlos Sainz has made two completely opposite races: the first one in Zandvoort, where the Spanish rider started among the first 3, staying just 92 thousandths of the poleman Max Verstappen and just 71 from Charles Leclerc, and his race pace was significantly lower than that of the defending world champion and his teammate.
This weekend, in Monza, #55 had to leave on Sunday from the 18th position when mounting a power unit with almost all its elements renewed, and its speed was what is expected of a Ferrari driver.
“Without the Safety Car, I would have been close to Russell on the last lap”
The F1-75 it was the car with the best pace of the weekend… except for the RB18 of a Verstappen against which the degradation and the two-stop strategy that the Scuderia could not she was forced to carry on with Leclerc by losing ground on the ‘Pista Magica’.
«Good sensationsyes, especially because I have come back faster than I expected, ”Sainz acknowledged even so to the microphones of DAZN F1. «We were going very fast, I could practically pass a car per lap and that allowed me to lose little time and get quickly behind Russell, who it was my goal so to speak… what happens is that it was far away».
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grazing the podium
Despite having to start from the penultimate position on the grid, Sainz trusted at all times to get on, even if it was to the last step of the podium. However, a series of circumstances ended up preventing him.
«By the time I got there it was a bit far; then I tried to catch him, we were cutting him a lot in those last laps until the Safety Car. It has not beenbut we were going very fast, we made good overtaking and it was fun», he explained.
Would he have made it there without the safety car coming out? “It would have been stuck on the last lap,” he guaranteed. «Whether or not I would have thrown myself at him… it would have been an unknownbut we were taking 1.3s-1.4s per lap, and that gave us in the simulation that came on its tail.
intact hope
Verstappen leaves Monza with 116 points more than his closest rival, precisely Leclerc, a difference that would be enough to become champion for the second time already at the next United States GP.
Even so, Sainz, who already assured in the Netherlands that “we are not as far away as it seems”, continues to think along those lines. “No, I think we’ve been much closer», he snapped.
“If I hadn’t had a penalty this weekend we would have had both cars to make a mixed strategy: Charles would probably have done what he did today, I would have done the opposite and I would have done Max’s race, and we would have put a lot more pressure on him, “he said convinced of it.
“It would have been a better opportunity for both of us, but I couldn’t be there because of the penalty and in the end Max was able to do the opposite of Charles and win the race, so… let’s see if these penalties end and the fact that I’m up there allows us put more pressure on Max», he concluded.