Carlos Sainz was at the receiving end of some bad luck during Sunday’s Qatar GP, and feels he has done some “damage limitation” by crossing the line in sixth.
The outgoing Ferrari driver started sixth as well, and was looking up halfway through the race when a puncture spoiled his plans. To add insult to injury, his left tyre gave up the ghost just as he was passing the pit entry, prompting Sainz to complete another lap, before a slow pit stop and a poorly timed safety car increased his misfortune.
“Yeah, I think we couldn’t have got it worse,” he said. “We had a puncture pretty much coming out of the last corner or around the last sector. Then it meant I needed to do a full lap on a punctured tyre, losing a lot of race time. Then we had a slow pit stop during that slow puncture.
“And then as soon as I came out of the pits, they put the safety car, so everyone can take their stop. I’ve lost all that time with the puncture and the pit stop under racing conditions, and then a safety car comes out exactly while I’m exiting the pits.
“So it couldn’t have been any worse. At the same time, I started P6, I finished P6 with everything that happened. Then I had to race probably with some damage in the car for the rest of the race.
“Yeah, a bit of a nightmare day. And bringing home a P6, maybe it’s not as terrible as it now feels. But yeah, at least the other car could get maximum points available for Charles.
“And it’s a damage limitation with everything that happened.”
His replacement at Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, also suffered from a puncture of the left-front tyre in the same lap, both occuring just after Valtteri Bottas smashed a mirror that was fallen of Alexander Albon’s Williams. However, whether the debris was the direct cause of the punctures remains to be seen, Sainz explained.
“I think it was a bit of a perfect storm,” he starts his explanation. “Everyone was running very low on the front left tyre in terms of tread.
“I think no one had much tread left. This exposes obviously the tyre and the carcass to a puncture. And then the sharp curbs, the gravel on the track, the debris.
“It could have been any of them that caused the puncture. We will never know. I just know that I got the worst of it because I had to do a full lap puncture.
“Plus a slow pit stop, plus the damage, plus the safety car when I came out of the pits.”
Sainz critical of race management
As many others around the paddock, the Spaniard rued the decision by the race director to delay the safety car as much as they did, especially since it came out just after his botched pit stop.
“[It took] more than too long, I wish it could have come out while I was having a puncture so no one could overtake me or no one could profit the safety car. Or we could all profit the safety car given that we were all in a puncture situation. There were two cars puncturing and that lap that I did on a punctured car, clearly there was something going on.
“And I had to do a full lap and a very slow pit stop before the safety car came out, which is the most frustrating part of it.”
The wear issues everyone faced were compounded by the race director not activating the safety car. All teams were clearly anticipating one after the mirror landed on the middle of the straight.
“I think we were all thinking, ‘let’s see when the safety car comes out,'” Sainz explained. “Also, I think George at the time had boxed for the hard and couldn’t get through traffic, so no one wanted to get into traffic.
“Today, overtaking was extremely difficult for everyone. I think the fact that they shortened also the DRS makes this track almost very, very difficult to pass.
“And no one wanted to get into traffic. Everyone wanted to use a safety car to pit. In the end, everyone used a safety car to pit, but obviously it’s forcing everyone to do that situation.”
Sainz refused to blame the race management issues on the newly appointed race director having to cover three series. Rui Marques originally was scheduled only to replace Niels Wittich, but with his successor Jeannette Tan being fired, he had to pick up his previous role as well.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of covering 3 series or not.
“And I hope, obviously, race control does a bit of an analysis of what could have been better executed this race because it was clearly a situation that we want to avoid in the future.
“At the same time, it’s easy to judge from the outside and you never know what could have happened.”
Constructors’ title fight goes to Abu Dhabi
Sainz his damage limitation in Qatar means the constructors’ title will reach it’s apotheosis in the Abu Dhabi GP.
“We managed to bring the fight into the next race,” the three time race winner said. “At the same time, on my side of the garage, we probably lost. We could have finished P4, P3, depending on the race scenario.”
“So we lost there four points that might be crucial for the end of the championship. But yeah, at the same time, if they tell you you’re going to start the race P6, you’re going to have a puncture. Then they’re going to put a safety car when you have finished the puncture.
“And you’re still going to finish P6. You maybe don’t even believe it. So, a bit of everything.”
The gap to McLaren is 21 points. With a maximum of 44 points on offer that is not impossible, but still requires a big effort from Sainz and teammate Charles Leclerc.
“I think it’s still going to be tough. 21 points requires a perfect weekend from Ferrari and a bad weekend from McLaren.
“But we’ve seen worse things in racing, so we’re going to give it our best shot. And if we nail a good weekend, we can still make it happen.”
And with Abu Dhabi being the last race for Sainz in the scarlet Ferrari’s, there is little to lose for him.
“That’s why we’re going to give it our absolute best,” he said. “Nothing to lose. We’re going to throw everything in to make sure we give ourselves the best chance.”
