Abu Dhabi will decide whether Carlos Sainz or Charles Leclerc is the Ferrari driver who finishes ahead in this 2021 season who promises action until the checkered flag at Yas Marina.
Carlos Sainz’s weekend in Jeddah it was truncated in a matter of seconds when, in the middle of the launched lap of Q2, he lost control of his car and ended up crashing into the barriers Tecpro.
Although the impact was really subtle, nothing compared to the spectacular accident that took Charles Leclerc against the wall on Friday, his rear wing eventually broke and forced him to abandon your last attempt all or nothing after a quick step through boxes, condemning him to start from 15th position.
Opting for the hard tire at the start, the one that had given most riders the most confidence so far due to the high grip on the track, served him well shortly after the start of the race. festival of red flags and Virtual Safety Cars, since he could barely roll 13 laps with that compound before going to a medium almost obligatory.
Calm in the storm
14 consecutive races on points after the Ferrari fiasco in France he is left as one of the most regular drivers on the grid, with 7 positions gained after a multitude of changes of all kinds on the track.
“He told me before the race that he was going to go very slow, that he had no race pace. I had not believed him, he usually goes very fast in the race and I told him … ‘you were right’», He joked referring to Fernando Alonso after checking the poor pace of the Alpine in the race.
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«Satisfied, especially with the first laps to the red flag. I think we have made a first stint on the attack, with a hard wheel that was going very well, it behaved incredible, he had a very good rhythm. The two red flags then forced us to average with 35-40 laps to go, “he explained.
Battle between companions
«I had to go on the attack the whole second stint, I have placed 7th, and at the end of the last five laps the tire has already said enough and I have started to lose a lot of rhythm. I reached the carcass of the right front, I almost crashed two or three times because I had no tire left, but I managed to finish 8th, which is not bad, “continued Sainz.
In the last leg of the race, an intense battle between him and his partner Charles Leclerc ended with both off track and about to touch. However, # 55 ensures that everything was under control at all times.
«He passed me clean. Those of the hard at the end of the race, against an average of 35 laps, went much faster, but It is what it is. The red flag has benefited me in the middle of the race, with 13 laps, but it has also hurt me and has forced me to put on an average wheel of 30-something laps that has not lasted as long as it should, a shame, “he explained.
“To start 15th and be ahead of Charles mid-race was already… it meant I was having a good race. Then the wheel, but we went very fast the whole race, I think I made a good comeback and you have to be satisfied. I have scored again, coming out in 15th ”, he closed.