Scuderia Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz has relived the best and most challenging moments of his 2023 Formula 1 season, finishing seventh in the drivers’ standings but securing the only non-Red Bull victory this year.
After reaching the peak of his career so far with the fantastic show of strength in Singapore, Carlos Sainz concluded the 2023 F1 season by swallowing two very bitter pills. The first came in the early minutes of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, experiencing a very heavy crash at over 300 km/h on one of the manhole covers of the brand-new city circuit. The second came in the last race in Abu Dhabi, with the Spaniard out in Q1 and out of the points in the race.
Carlos Sainz, the best moment of 2023 after the summer break
After already showing a solid performance in the last race before the summer break at Zandvoort, the Madrilenian returned from vacation in an impressive form, securing a sensational pole position at Monza and fighting for much of the race against the two Red Bulls.
The real feat came in Singapore, a Grand Prix in which Carlos finally managed to convert Saturday’s pole into victory, achieving his second success behind the wheel of the Prancing Horse and in his career.
Interviewed by AS, the Spanish driver relived that period: “The moment I am most proud of this year? The two consecutive pole positions, the victory, and finding that consistency in the second part of the season that may have been lacking at the beginning.” – he explained.
The worst moment
As mentioned earlier, Carlos Sainz lost the opportunity to fight for fourth place in the championship (as much as it may matter) mainly due to the last two unfortunate weekends.
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In reality, however, number 55 identified the pre-season as one of the most challenging moments to digest: “The start, without a doubt, the test in Bahrain. Having seen so early, from the first three runs we did in testing, that the car was complicated and scared us. We didn’t understand well what was happening and what we were missing compared to Red Bull.” – he pointed out.
“And then, as in the races, in Australia (penalized for the contact with Alonso on the last restart) and in Las Vegas (penalized for changing the battery, forced by the incident on the manhole cover). I have never been so frustrated and angry with this sport as in those two races.”
After the Las Vegas incident, in fact, the FIA decided not to give any leniency to the Ferrari driver, penalizing him with a 10-place grid drop for exceeding the maximum limit of replaceable components, even though the driver was not at fault. Sainz then managed to climb back to sixth place in the race, but the regret for not being able to fight for the victory remained.
Source: f1ingenerale
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