18:15 Carlos Sainz has taken the second podium of his Formula 1 career. The Spaniard finished second in an insane Italian Grand Prix, but looks back with mixed feelings. Precisely because the plot of the race at Monza was impossible to describe, the Spaniard would have loved to win. “Without all this chaos, I would have just finished second.”
That McLaren had a good speed at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza this weekend, was already apparent on Saturday. Sainz qualified third, although it was expected that the two Mercedes would disappear on the horizon ahead of him. Nothing turned out to be further from the truth on Sunday afternoon. Where Valtteri Bottas struggled with the W11, Lewis Hamilton got a stop-and-go penalty. The race at the front was completely open like a miracle.
It made Sainz dream of victory, although he had to deal with Pierre Gasly who seemed to get wings in his AlphaTauri. The Frenchman held out to give his country its first ever F1 win since 1996. Sainz had to settle for P2. “It’s incredible, incredible how I can still be disappointed with P2. I never expected to fight for victory before this race, although we were very close.”
The end result raises the necessary eyebrows, although Sainz would have finished in exactly the same position under normal circumstances. “I think we could have taken P2 in a normal race, but behind Lewis. Our pace was very good. This is what we deserve, but Pierre in the front … how did that happen”, sighs he after a crazy race.
“We ourselves had some bad luck with the safety car, although we corrected it well afterwards, even after the red flag. I am happy with P2, we were very fast all weekend. I had the feeling that we could easily dominate midfield, so I should be happy with P2 “, continues the Spaniard who will drive for the troubled Ferrari next year. “Also to come forward from P6 again, to second place and then to approach Pierre to three to four tenths, we just have to be proud of that.”
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