Sainz finds reliability issues easier to digest than in 2021
F1. With 4 DNFs in 9 races, Carlos Sainz is the driver who has seen the checkered flag the fewest times this season. However, the Spaniard remains positive, especially with his first Formula 1 victory obtained.
Carlos Sainz is experiencing a strange season. In Austria, the Spaniard was forced to retire when his F175 caught fire while he was chasing Max Verstappen for second place. This is his fourth retirement this season, and the second due to mechanical failure, the first one being in Baku. Nevertheless, the driver, who achieved his first Formula 1 victory in Silverstone, sees this situation in a positive light, as he explained after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
At the team level, we are always motivated and united. We are going through a bump on the road. I think that with the progress we have made with the engine this year, I prefer to experience this improvement and take this bump rather than having a reliable but powerless engine (sic). I believe that the team has done a great job this year with the engine, and we are just going through some difficulties that we will solve, I am sure.
Yes, but here's the thing, just three races later, history repeats itself for Sainz, who was chasing a first Ferrari one-two since Bahrain. The blow is immediately harder to take. It's difficult to find the right words today, when a one-two finish was obvious. I had a lot of pace, especially on the hard tire. There was a lot of degradation, but I managed it. During the final stint, the car was really comfortable, but unfortunately, we had to retire, he explained after the race.
