'Didn't Get It Right': Sainz Reacts To Ferrari Sprint Strategy

Sunday, 22 October 2023 at 16:00

Updated at Sunday, 22 October 2023 at 16:06

Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver Carlos Sainz commented on his Sprint Race after finishing P6 during the 2023 United States Grand Prix weekend at Circuit of the Americas.

Carlos Sainz found himself in a tricky situation before the start of the 2023 United States Grand Prix weekend Sprint Race when he realized his car was the only car on soft tires out of the whole grid.

All remaining 19 drivers and their teams decided to go on the medium compound tires, which sounded like a wiser choice. The Spanish driver told the media after the sprint race:

"When I was the only car on soft, I said, 'We probably didn't get it right,' which obviously we didn't. Once, after two or three laps, I saw the just quicker, pretty much the whole stint."

Read also

Leclerc Reveals Ferrari Weakness Ahead Of The United States Grand Prix.

The better grip of the soft compound tires allowed Sainz to fly by Oscar Piastri at the start, going into the first corner, and then later perform an incredible late dive on the inside of the other McLaren driver, Lando Norris.

After gaining two positions in the first lap, however, the advantage of the Spaniard's tires disappeared, and he had to switch from attacking to defending until the end of the race. Sainz says he would like to avoid tire gambles in the future.

"Something to learn from, something to improve going into the future to see if we can maybe save those gambles and don't do them."

The Ferrari driver, in the end, got overtaken by Norris and Sergio Perez on a Red Bull. It would seem inevitable for him to fall even further down the field, but Sainz managed to fend off George Russell on Mercedes, who later received a 5-second penalty and dropped one position lower.

"At least I managed to keep my position. I think, with a medium, we probably could have done a better job. We saved the P6, the whole race defending; I tried my best."