Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz admits that for a brief moment he thought he could win the Formula 1 race at Monza – until he realized he had put too much strain on his tires.
Carlos Sainz led the Italian Grand Prix until lap 15 – longer than any other non-Red Bull driver this season. For a short time, the Ferrari driver even believed he could win his Formula 1 team’s home race.
“I had the feeling that I had the race under control to some extent,” says Sainz, recapitulating the start of the first stint. “But then on laps 10-12 I started to feel the left rear tire give out a lot sooner than I expected.”
“At that point I realized that I had put too much strain on my tyres, probably to keep Max (Verstappen; editor’s note) behind me,” said the Spaniard.
Sainz used his Ferrari’s excellent top speed to successfully defend his position in the first two chicanes several times. But after braking at Turn 1 on Lap 15, the Spaniard had to let Verstappen pass at Turn 4 and was soon defending against Sergio Pérez.
Ferrari star Sainz: That cost me my victory in Monza
In the end it was third place behind the two Red Bulls and ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc. “I had simply worn the left rear tire too much,” analyzes Sainz. “But it was clear that I had to push very, very hard to keep them behind me. Probably harder than I should have.”
In the end, third place was the best possible result, especially given that Red Bull put race pace ahead of qualifying performance.
The extra downforce compared to the Ferraris benefited the team, who once again had better tire management.
Nevertheless, he is “very, very happy,” emphasizes Sainz. “Because a P3 in Monza in front of the Tifosi is the best you can achieve. At least for this weekend, because Red Bull was, as we expected, much faster than us in the end.”
“I tried everything to keep them behind me, especially in the first stint when I was ahead of Max. That probably almost cost me the podium. I was always under a lot of pressure, first from Max, then from Checo and Charles . In the end I was able to finish third but it was a very tough race.”