Sainz, 6th and overtaking the Ferraris: “We’re at a very high level.”
The Spaniard repeats his position and once again improves on the two Maranello cars with a brilliant qualifying session at Imola.
GP Emilia Romagna F1. Alonso dedicates a masterful fifth to Fabri, and Sainz will start sixth in Ímola.
Carlos Sainz is on fire with the Williams. He keeps improving and burning stages with his new team, and he does so by entering Q3, beating his teammate Alex Albon, and sneaking into the top part of the table that theoretically did not belong to the Grove factory. In Emilia Romagna, things once again prove different, as the ‘ 55 ‘ left behind the Ferraris at home (11th for Leclerc and 12th for Hamilton) or an Antonelli (13th) who shipwrecked less than half an hour from his hometown, Bologna. Sainz will attack from 6th, glued to Fernando Alonso.
“We wanted to take a risk. We went out in the last car to maximize the evolution of the track and pick up slipstreams, but it backfired a bit. We had to do a fast out lap and compromised the tires by passing Gasly almost on the grass to get past him. In short, the Q3 lap went a bit wrong for us,” said Sainz. There was something else to it. In Q2, he passed first, and a few tenths could have been shaved off. “We grew too much with the la. But I’m very happy with the car and the feeling,” he analyzed.
I see the glass half full. Having the pace for that lap and starting 6th with the potential to finish 5th is great news. It demonstrates the progress I’ve made as a team, with my riding and the setup direction I’m providing.
The feeling remains good. This is the fourth round in a row where he’s beaten Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari. He also overtakes Leclerc, the leader of the Maranello team. “I see the glass as half full. Having the pace for that lap and starting 6th with the potential to finish 5th is great news. It demonstrates the progress as a team and me with my driving and the setup direction I’m providing,” he expressed.
“We’re doing things very well, and we’re at a very high level. Here you need to adapt to the car, and it’s a very good sign to be at the limit of the car already. We’ll get better and better if we continue like this,” he added. He’s clear about the path to follow: his methodical, perfectionist work, where the connection with the team is total. “Work pays off. It shows that hard work and knowing how to go in the right direction are what matter. It’s a big step because I had a very good pace in Q2, and in Q3 if we had done that lap with the tires,” he asserted.
We’re doing very well and we’re at a very high level. You need to adapt to the car here, and it’s a very good sign to be at the limit of the car already. We’ll get better and better if we continue like this.
He’ll want to attack. “We’ve saved the new medium to see if it can give us anything more. Others have used it, and the race will tell who was right. I wanted to use it, but the team wouldn’t let me,” he concluded. Russell or Alonso did use it, but the Williams will have it ready for the 63 laps at the madness of Imola.