Sainz: “I feel one with the car”

Carlos Sainz arrives in Singapore after showing tremendous levels in the two previous races. In Zandvoortwas 5th, maximizing the performance of a Ferrari in which his teammate Leclerc suffered greatly, a car that the Spaniard himself said “for a while did not enter the Top-10. And in monzaagainst ‘tifosi’, he hit the final table, achieved pole position, fought with a lot of ambition and aggressively against both red bull for the victory and had a big final defense without tires against Leclerc before achieving the dream podium in Italy. Now, two weeks after his Monza demonstration, he arrives in Singapore knowing his car will not be as competitive on a track as it is on Marina Baycompletely opposite to Italian. Ferrari He suffered a lot on a high-load track like Zandvoort and came with the hope of improving on a track full of slow corners like an urban one in Singapore.

“I’m not sure that Monza was my best race, because I’ve been good in the last races and have more confidence in the car. In general, I’m driving better than last year and I can see it, especially in the last race . My driving is getting better and more consistent and I hope to keep it here as well,” commented the native of Madrid, who recalled that in 2022 he had to fight his own car to adapt to a driving style far from his own, work in which he is now seeing the results, with great confidence as he drives in behind the wheel. of complex and complicated cars. very sensitive to wind and changes in conditions.

“I feel one with the car, something that didn’t happen last year. Red Bull is one step ahead and we fight according to the circuit against Mercedes, Aston Martin and McLaren. “I can’t say exactly where we will be this weekend compared to these teams,” he declared about his expectations for this track.

“The realistic thing is to say that we will never be consistent”

“The realistic thing is to say that we will not be as consistent as at Monza, which is a high-speed, low-load circuit, where we have done the best this year, and it is a low-load circuit. At the same time, it’s always hot, the tires degrade in a different way… this is a very physically demanding race and it is hard to know exactly how we will go,” he noted.

“We understand the car since Free Practice 1 and in recent weeks we have done everything well. We hope we can achieve more good results and do well here. In Zandvoort we learned a lot and we are going to change (aerodynamic) package of many to find the balance “It goes beyond a certain rear spoiler and rather has to do with the overall concept of the car,” he added.

However, Carlos did not rule out anything on a track where accidents and safety cars could open up new opportunities in the middle of the race. “There are always several safety cars and that opens up the possibilities. You literally drink tea during the race, because it’s not water because of the heat and that’s how committed you are to the nearly two-hour race,” he concluded, who remembered the physical challenge this Singapore date night represented.