Monaco Grand Prix – first podium in red for Sainz
At the end of a weekend where he played leading roles in each session, Carlos Sainz managed to secure his first podium at Ferrari by finishing second in the race in Monaco this Sunday.
Ferrari showed their teeth this weekend, with a notable speed for both of its cars during the practice sessions, confirmed by Leclerc’s pole position and Sainz’s 4th time during qualifying. But while his teammate couldn’t start the Grand Prix due to a transmission problem, Sainz took advantage of this race to stand out in the spotlight.
A hellish pace in the race
The Spaniard displayed an indecent pace in the race, which allowed him to clinch Ferrari’s first podium this season, and his first in the red outfit after a solid race that he finished in second place.
He reflects on this performance at the microphones upon arriving: « We must be proud of this performance, and of the car that the team provided us with this weekend. It’s an excellent result, I’m very happy. If you had told me that I would finish 2nd at the beginning of the weekend, I wouldn’t have believed you. »
« We were sad for Charles »
The former McLaren driver met his former teammate Lando Norris on the podium, congratulating him on this performance, while also thinking of his current teammate Charles Leclerc: « It’s a mix of emotions on this Grand Prix because it’s difficult not to see Charles Leclerc take the start, but we had to refocus on our race, and that’s what we did by having a good strategy and managing the traffic well afterwards, while taking advantage of Valtteri Bottas’ unfortunate retirement. »
It is the 3rd podium in Carlos Sainz’s career, which allows Ferrari to get closer to the 3rd place in the constructors’ championship, behind McLaren, in a fierce battle that promises to be intense throughout the season.