Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver Carlos Sainz confirmed that the tyre management he had to do in the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix at Losail International Circuit led to a rather boring race at the wheel of his SF21 car, yet this strategy led to a seventh-place finish, ahead of his Maranello teammate Charles Leclerc.
Carlos Sainz ended the race in Qatar two places from where the started, despite the fact that he was helped by the late punctures suffered by Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas and McLaren’s Lando Norris, with the Spaniard having been overtaken by the much faster Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez, but also by Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll after some team radio issues during the event on Sunday.
In the final stages of the Qatar Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz tried to regain his possition against the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz was able to catch his opponent, but being in the drag reduction system (DRS) train made it impossible for him to successfully attempt an overtaking move.
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“It wasn’t the most entertaining race today for us due to the amount of tyre management we had to do. However, we did a good job and managed to finish on the one-stop strategy, despite the doubts we had prior to the race. As expected, the race start on the Medium tyre was tough for me and I struggled to fight with the cars around me. From there I just focused on extending the first stint to the maximum and then taking care of the Hard tyre during the first laps of the second stint. When I was told we were safe to push to the end I finally had some fun, catching Ocon and Stroll ahead of me. However, being stuck in a DRS train made it impossible to overtake so that was it.” – Carlos Sainz explained.
The Ferrari driver confirmed that the triple-header in Mexico City, São Paulo and Qatar was a positive one for the Italian side as they managed to increase their advantage over rivals McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship, with just two races until the end of the season:
“Overall it’s been a positive triple-header, where I’ve felt confident and fast in the car in every session and race. We have also increased our lead over McLaren so we can be happy about that. Before tackling the last two races of the season a bit of rest is much needed, especially for the mechanics and every member of the race team. Thanks for all the effort guys! Finally, congratulations to Fernando [Alonso] today! Great to see him back on the podium.” – Carlos Sainz concluded.
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