It was a truly intense qualifying session, full of emotions and constant surprises due to the extremely variable weather and the ever-evolving track at the Belgian GP, held at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. At the end of the qualifying, thanks to an extraordinary lap, Max Verstappen emerged victorious behind the wheel of the Red Bull RB19, creating a gap of almost a second from his closest pursuer, Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc, however, taking advantage of Max Verstappen’s penalty for a gearbox change (5-place grid penalty), will start as the poleman for the Belgian Grand Prix, ahead of Sergio Perez’s Red Bull, the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton (currently in great form), and his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz. In hindsight, the Spaniard could be considered the most disappointed driver of the day, considering the explosive start he had to the weekend (in FP1) and the qualifying session.
Carlos Sainz, classified fifth but starting fourth on Sunday’s race due to Max Verstappen’s penalty, analyzed his session as soon as he got out of his SF-23 and arrived at the interview area. First, the Spanish driver spoke about the weather conditions that characterized the qualifying session, which were variable but where the Ferrari performed well.
“The conditions were very tricky, the track was always different, but we managed to put in good laps.” – the Spaniard pointed out.
As mentioned, the qualifying session started strong for Carlos Sainz, but he admitted that he couldn’t deliver in Q3 due to a mistake in the middle sector: “We did well in Q1 and Q2, but in Q3, the final lap wasn’t the best. I made a mistake between turn 8 and 9, which cost me a few positions.” – he pointed out.
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Despite the mistake, Carlos Sainz is generally satisfied with his performance in the overall session, as he managed to avoid errors and beat some of his direct rivals.
“Overall, I’m happy to have made it to Q3 in these conditions and, in general, with the fifth position.” – the Ferrari man concluded.
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