Carlos Sainz was only 0s082 away from taking his second consecutive pole position in Formula 1, but he was still not dissatisfied with his third place on the grid for the sprint race in Austria. The Spaniard sees an open fight with Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc
Carlos Sainz will start third in the sprint race in Austria. This Friday (8), the Spaniard of Ferrari turned 1min05s066 in the pole setting at the Red Bull Ring and left even satisfied with what he got, especially for having been so close to pole, Max Verstappen, and Charles Leclerc, second placed.
Sainz ended up 0s082 away from Max's pole position and 0s05 from his teammate's, but he valued the lap he managed to do with cold tires after the red flags of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
"Of course, you look at the timesheets so tight and imagine that 0s1 there or there could have given us pole, but I also know that the two guys in front of me know very well where they gained or lost time. The good thing is that we did a good lap at the end of Q3, and that wasn't easy at all with the tires frozen like they were after the red flag," he said.
The Spaniard understands that he could have taken pole if he adjusted some details. Still, he didn't complain about his time. Sainz is looking for his second consecutive victory in Austria.
"It wasn't easy to control our car in turn 1, in turn 3, but I know I could have done a little bit better on my fastest lap. But still, I'm happy with the third place and for being so close to the two," he added.
Coming from a victory in England, Sainz is fourth in the Drivers' World Championship, with 127 points, 11 behind Leclerc and 54 below Verstappen.
GRANDE PRÊMIO follows LIVE and INREAL TIME all the activities of the Austrian GP weekend. The sprint race is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. (GMT-3) on Saturday.