In the sprint qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix in Interlagos, Carlos Sainz shot up from fifth to second place. The Ferrari driver unpacked his elbows on the way forward, which Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen had to experience firsthand.
It was lap 19 of 24 when Sainz decided to attack Verstappen with an uncompromising maneuver in the Senna-S. It came into contact with the Red Bull driver, who was already struggling with deteriorating tires at this point.
As a result of the contact, Verstappen lost the left end plate of his front wing – and downforce. Sainz, on the other hand, was rewarded with second place behind Interlagos sprint winner George Russell (Mercedes), which the Spaniard then never gave up.
Red Bull with top speed advantage over Ferrari
After the sprint, “Motorsport-Total.com” asked Sainz why he had decided to launch such an attack. “Obviously you can’t draw level with the Red Bull on the straights. The Red Bull is [dort] probably the hardest part,” the Ferrari driver refers to the top speed advantage that the RB18 has had all year round.
This advantage amounted to around ten km/h in qualifying on Friday: Verstappen was flashed at the measuring point at 331.3 km/h, Sainz at 322.0 km/h. Even with the help of DRS, it is difficult to outperform the Red Bull under these circumstances. Sainz therefore felt compelled to “put on the brakes a little”.
“The tires locked up a bit and I went a little far. That led to slight contact with Max,” reports Sainz. But: “It was fair. That’s part of racing and in the end neither of us had any major damage.”
Carlos Sainz: The maneuver was reminiscent of 2019
And Verstappen doesn’t want to attach too much importance to the fallen off front wing end plate either. He is convinced: “My front wing was slightly damaged by the contact, but even with a complete front wing I would have finished fourth.” Because shortly after Sainz, the Dutchman also had to let Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton go.
And Sainz? He is “pretty happy” about the successful maneuver against Verstappen. Also because it brings back memories for the Ferrari driver: “It reminded me a little of my overtaking maneuver here against Checo [Perez] in 2019 where I was very close to the inside of the wall. It was pretty tight too, but I made it.”
At that time, Sainz pulled in later and even more vehemently in the Senna-S on lap 4 and surprised Perez with this maneuver. This parallel could be a good omen, because three years ago the McLaren driver at the time clinched his first podium in Formula 1 in Brazil. Despite the grid penalty, there could be silverware again on Sunday.