Carlos Sainz believes he can aim for the podium at Spa
Disappointed by his qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday, Carlos Sainz nonetheless believes he has a chance of a podium finish on Sunday if things go his way up front.
Carlos Sainz expressed disappointment with his performance in the qualifying session for the Belgian Grand Prix. Expected to do better, the Spaniard ultimately had to settle for the eighth fastest time, which translates to seventh place on the starting grid following Max Verstappen’s penalty.
« It was a last disastrous attempt », he regretted after the session with the media. « I was comfortable with the car in intermediate conditions and in the rain, but my last lap with the new tires did not work at all. »
The Madrid player explained not understanding the reasons for this loss of grip: « I had no traction. I don’t know if it’s due to my launch, a lack of tire warming, or a problem with the tires themselves. »
Possible to aim for the top 5 on Sunday.
Despite this disappointment, Sainz remains optimistic for the race this Sunday, in weather conditions diametrically opposed to Saturday: « The conditions will be completely different tomorrow. We will have to manage the graining, which has been a problem all weekend on the dry track . But I think we can aim for a top 5, or even the podium if opportunities arise . »
The Ferrari driver emphasized the potential of his car, notably by comparing his performance to that of his teammate Charles Leclerc, who will start in pole position: « I had a similar pace to Charles during the first run in Q3. With a good lap, I could have been much closer to him.
Sainz also mentioned the difficulty of overtaking at Spa-Francorchamps: “With the McLarens and the Mercedes ahead, it’s not going to be easy to climb up. But I am determined to give my all to achieve the best possible result.”
