Sainz: Ferrari “never had the pace or the tools” to win at Monza

While his former team achieved a historic double, Carlos Sainz only managed a sixth place finish at the Italian Grand Prix. Starting from the same position, the Spaniard was unable to make progress, even after the accident between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

At the end of the race, the Ferrari driver could have regrets. Last year, on the same circuit, Sainz finished second behind Gasly. He was then very close to winning his first F1 Grand Prix in his career. This season, the ending is different. However, Sainz admits that his car did not have the tools to win the race in front of the fans of Scuderia Ferrari.

We have always been there, very close to the opportunity, but we have never had the rhythm and the tools to fight. We have some weaknesses with the car that we know. And every time we fought, it was very difficult to keep the others behind or to attack them. It’s a shame, because you always want a podium so close to you, but you never really had the chance to fight for it.

However, the Ferraris showed pace this weekend, but it was clearly not enough to win at home. Charles Leclerc finished in fourth place, benefiting from Sergio Perez’s time penalties to secure a spot just off the podium. But Sainz did not have a good weekend. During free practice 2, the Spaniard had a heavy crash into the wall at Ascari corner, causing significant damage to his car. He never managed to find a certain confidence in his car. A tough weekend for Sainz.

« Not really. The only point where I was more or less confident was in qualifying, where the strong rear grip of the soft tire helped me understand the car better, but unfortunately, in the race, I was sliding a lot. The rear never really reached top speed. Yes, it’s a very difficult weekend to be honest. I have to analyze what I can do better and see if we can improve for the next race.

If we can feel the Spaniard a little tired in his words, Sainz can keep smiling. With his P6 in Italy, he achieves a series of points in seven consecutive races. Next step, Russia where the Ferrari team hopes to shine.