Carlos Sainz drove arguably the best race of his F1 career at the Singapore Grand Prix this past weekend, as he was in control from the very start to the very end. The Spaniard did not put a foot wrong despite being under immense pressure towards the end. Since Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were much quicker than Sainz after pitting for fresher tires, the 29-year-old had to utilize a clever strategy to beat them. As a result, he formed an uncanny partnership with good friend Lando Norris despite not being teammates with the Briton anymore.
Sainz revealed in his post-race interview that his intention was not just to help Norris because of the “Carlando” bromance but that he also helped the Briton to win the race himself.
Since both Russell and Hamilton were on much fresher tires towards the end of the race, Sainz knew that he could not win the race without some help. As a result, the Ferrari driver deliberately gave Norris DRS to ensure that none of the Mercedes drivers could get past the McLaren driver.
Carlos Sainz out strategies Mercedes
Mercedes perhaps would have believed that they played the ultimate strategic game when they chose to pit both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton from second and fourth place, respectively. While it seemed at one stage that the Silver Arrows’ aggressive strategy may help them win the race, Carlos Sainz’s smooth operation at the front ensured that he went on to win his second F1 Grand Prix.
After both Russell and Hamilton dispatched Charles Leclerc quickly, Sainz knew that he could not hold onto the lead if he did not receive any help. As a result, the Spaniard decided to give Lando Norris something he labeled himself “a bit of a cheeky DRS boost.”
“I had to give Lando a bit of a cheeky DRS boost, and that helped us to keep them behind and win the race and get the get the win for Ferrari that feels great,” explained Sainz (as quoted by espn.in). However, the 29-year-old made it clear that he was aware of the challenges that came with pulling off such a risk.
“You know that then you cannot have a lock-up. You cannot have a single mistake or a snap because it means that then Lando’s going to have a chance to overtake you if he’s on DRS. So yeah, at that point you decide to give him the DRS, hoping that that’s going to be enough to keep the Mercs behind,” explained the Ferrari driver.
Even though Carlos Sainz had an ulterior motive to help Norris, the Briton did thank his former McLaren teammate for the same. The 23-year-old then explained how happy he was to finish second and score good points for the team.
Lando Norris delighted to finish second
Lando Norris stated after the race that he was delighted to finish second and successfully keep the two Mercedes behind him. The 23-year-old then stated (as quoted by formula1.com) that he was happy to score some good points for McLaren and get the result he wanted despite coming under immense stress towards the end of the race.
Norris and McLaren will now hope to put on a similar level of performance at Suzuka later this weekend. The Japanese Grand Prix will take place from September 21 to 23.
