Carlos Sainz had newer tires and a good pace to catch Max Verstappen and win in Canada. He couldn't do it and left Montreal with a 'want more' feeling
Carlos Sainz had a great opportunity to win for the first time in Formula 1 in Canada. With newer tires, the Spaniard spent 15 laps trying to take the lead from Max Verstappen, even with the aid of DRS, but he was unsuccessful. He finished 'only' in second position. Another podium, it is true, but he feels it could have been better.
"This weekend I was faster," said the Spaniard, in an interview with Sky Sports. "This weekend, for the first time in the championship, I was the fastest guy on the track, both on the medium and hard tires - I was catching Max on both occasions," he added.
"I felt comfortable with the car, I was close to the walls, but with confidence, and I felt comfortable out there. It's a shame I didn't get the first win," he followed.
In a weekend in which Leclerc had a recovery race and Sergio Pérez abandoned, the advantage for Sainz was the isolated dispute with the championship leader. The #55 understands that even had there not been the safety-car occasioned by Yuki Tsunoda moments later, he would have been able to hold off the Dutchman while leading on worn tires.
"Without the safety car, I could hold him [Verstappen] back. I think I was pretty fast and Max was catching up with me, but he wouldn't easily pass me at the end of the race," he imagined.
"I really wanted my first win, so you can imagine how hard I was pushing. Overtaking was not easy because of the wind on the main straight, there was very little DRS and it was very difficult to do any overtaking on Red Bull. But I was close a few times and I know I gave my best," he concluded.
The result leaves Sainz 73 points behind the defending champion, who currently has 175 points at the top of the Drivers' World Championship. Formula 1 returns on July 3 for the British GP at Silverstone.