2023-09-25 00:01:51
Carlos Sainz finished the 2023 F1 Round 17 Japanese GP in 6th place. He revealed that in the final stages of the race, he was “laughing in the car” as Mercedes used the DRS strategy he had implemented in the previous race. Sainz, who won in Singapore last weekend to become the only non-Red Bull winner in 2023, was unable to repeat that on the circuit at Suzuka, with Max Verstappen winning comfortably and the McLarens showing great pace. Hidden double podium.
However, Sainz, who said he felt faster “right from the start,” extended his second stint and was running second in the final stages. Sainz was ahead of the two Mercedes cars of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton by his second pit stop, but his subsequent return to the track ultimately cost him. Confusion over whether Russell should be placed in front of Hamilton ultimately gave Sainz the opportunity to overtake Russell and claim sixth place. “I felt like everything was going well after I got into a bit of a rhythm, I understood the car very well and the driving was good,” Sainz said. “It’s unfortunate that we lost a little bit of race time on the last pit stop, but it can’t be helped.” Despite being a little disappointed that Mercedes got ahead of him, Sainz continued to focus on race pace and continued his efforts at Suzuka. He maintained a positive attitude even after the race. “Honestly, I was very fast today. I felt like I had plenty of pace from the first lap, and even when everyone in front of me was boxing, I felt like I had enough pace inside me. I was able to improve my lap time by a couple of tenths, so I’m very happy with that. “The most important thing on a circuit like this is qualifying, so the track position paid for yesterday. I was able to get my rhythm back today and my pace was good, so I think it was good.”At the end of the race, as Hamilton approached Russell after one stop, Mercedes swapped their cars, allowing Sainz to pounce on Russell. So Mercedes opted to use Hamilton to protect Russell in DRS against Sainz, a DRS trick they suffered in Singapore last weekend. However, unlike Sainz and Norris, Hamilton and Russell were unable to use the DRS tow effectively, and the Ferrari was able to fend off the second Mercedes, finishing just behind Hamilton. Sainz admitted it was interesting to watch his rivals imitate the moves that have become his trademark. “He was laughing in the car because I could see Lewis going back on 130R to give George a DRS,” Sainz said. “I thought we needed to make sure we attacked George at the chicane because if we didn’t get him off the line it would be impossible to pass them. “We went quite deep into the chicane and managed to switch back a little bit. “It was a lot of fun, I almost lost my position with my trick!”Aside from Mercedes’ challenge, today we focused on tire degradation and McLaren’s strength in high-speed corners played a role. However, Sainz feels positive about both issues and has a positive mindset for the rest of the season. “It was a little lower depth than expected, but we controlled the tires well and now we need to focus on continuing to do a good job there,” Sainz admitted. As for McLaren’s pace, Sainz believes it will continue to be a consistent threat on high-speed circuits, but added: “If we go to places like Mexico or Austin where there are a lot of slow speeds, I’m confident we can race with McLaren.” “I think Lando was a few tenths of a second faster per lap today in particular.” “I think Piastri could have done a strong lap to match him any time he had clean air, but I didn’t have clean air.” Only.”
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