Carlos Sainz is the big surprise of qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix (Sunday, from 4:30 a.m. live on RTL). The Williams driver made it more than clear on the RTL microphone afterwards how harsh the conditions were.
“It was incredibly difficult,” says Carlos Sainz on RTLmicrophone after his wild qualifying ride to third place about the extreme conditions in Las Vegas: “Especially Q1, I had one of the most uncomfortable feelings in a race car in my life. I don’t recommend it to anyone because everyone out there suffered.”
Changing weather conditions really shook up qualifying.
The low temperatures and, above all, the rain, which was unusual for Nevada, characterized the session; poor visibility and a lack of grip made life difficult for all drivers. Even when the rain stopped and the track became drier, at least on the ideal line, the challenge in the casino metropolis was still great.
“It was stressful as hell,” said pole setter Lando Norris: “It was good enough. Good enough for P1. Not the nicest conditions, but at least it stopped raining.” For second-placed Max Verstappen, the slippery track “felt like ice. I love driving in the wet, but that was a bit too much. I was surprised that there weren’t more incidents, everyone must have behaved really well.”
Can Sainz maintain his position? “Know that there are much faster cars behind us”
Video: Qualifying analysis: “It’s fun”
Carlos Sainz’s teammate Alexander Albon crashed in Q1 when he hit the barriers in turn 14.
For the race on Sunday (from 4:30 a.m. live on RTL) higher temperatures and a dry route are now expected.
Should Sainz now fear losing his excellent starting position early in the race? “When it’s dry, I’ll do my best to leave everyone behind me. Just like I managed to do in Baku or Austin. We know there are much faster cars behind us.”
The 31-year-old, who switched from Ferrari to Williams before the season, sensationally achieved third place in the race in Azerbaijan. In Austin he came third in the sprint.