Sainz Trying Not To Show His Bad Mood After P2 In Las Vegas Qualifying

Sunday, 19 November 2023 at 06:00

Carlos Sainz shared his feelings after achieving P2 during the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix Qualification at Las Vegas Strip Circuit.

Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver Carlos Sainz finished in second position behind his teammate Charles Leclerc during the qualifying session in Las Vegas, completing the perfect result for his team.

However, the Spanish driver will have to start from P12 after dropping the 10-position because of the controversial penalty he received for changing his power unit following the FP1 incident. Sainz said in the interview right after the qualification:

"To get a front-row lock-out, I think it's incredible. Obviously, I would love to be on pole because it would mean I start 11th instead of 12. But I think that we did the maximum that we could today."

Read also

Verstappen Lacking One Lap Performance In Las Vegas: 'We Maximized Today'

It seems like Ferrari will have a decent chance of winning in the race. Therefore, it is much more disappointing for Sainz to fall victim to the unfortunate circumstances. The Spaniard revealed he was trying to hide his "bad mood":

"Obviously still disappointed with yesterday. I'm not going to lie. I'm still in a very bad mood but I'm trying not to show it too much. But it is what it is."

On the other hand, if Sainz can transition his qualifying pace into the race, he might have a chance of competing for the podium, and if the safety car was triggered at the end of the race, he might also have a chance for a win.

"[My race] depends obviously on how the start goes, how the graining on the tires is, and then how easy it is to overtake. I think that the pace, it clearly looks like we have it this weekend"

Sainz will start the race behind Sergio Perez in 11th and Lewis Hamilton in 10th place. The Spanish driver might provide F1 fans with the main show during the race on Saturday night, as he will need to perform a lot of overtakes to make his way through. He added:

"I would love to be fighting for the win tomorrow with Charles and Max, but unfortunately, I'm going to be on a comeback mode, a comeback race. Hopefully, I can get to the front at some point. But I think it's going to be tricky."