As Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took the Chequered Flag, he ended the 15 and 10 back-to-back wins by Red Bull and Max Verstappen respectively. In his valiant effort, his old friend Lando Norris played an important role in defense. An effort and cooperation where both of them suited from two aggressive Mercedes. However, it appears that Sainz, who had the better chunk of the outcome said Norris did not do any charity by helping him, according to while speaking during the post race press conference.
The Lap 43 of the Singapore GP saw Esteban Ocon pull up by the side of the track due to reliability issues and this triggered a Virtual Safety Car. Seeing the VSC, Mercedes decided to pit George Russell and Lewis Hamilton with fresher medium tires.
🇸🇬Incredible weekend. We managed it to perfection, controlling the pace the entire race. The team deserves this win for the enormous work they have done both here and in Maranello. This one for them and for the Tifosi! On to Suzuka!
–#CarlosSainz pic.twitter.com/lP8jWV5HP2
— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) September 17, 2023
This was something Ferrari wanted to avoid as the new tires would give the Silver Arrows unprecedented speed. The Scuderia on the other hand decided to keep their place intact. In doing so, they became vulnerable to the Silver Arrows duo. In the end, it was a joint effort by Norris and Sainz that kept both Russell and Hamilton at bay until the young Briton crashed against the wall.
Norris’ action was no charity, believes Sainz
As Sainz, Norris, and Hamilton sat down for the Singapore GP press conference after the race, the Prancing Horse star was asked to share his thoughts on their “Carlando” moment from the race and how the McLaren driver has been incredibly helpful.
Answering this to the media, the 29-year-old shared, “Don’t get me wrong, but if he [Norris] would have had a chance to pass me at any moment, he would have gone for it, but I knew that 0.9 gap was enough to play it smart.”
PTWOOOOOOOO ❤️ pic.twitter.com/9HOmKRAjG9
— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) September 17, 2023
However, the Ferrari star also praised his former teammate at McLaren and how fun it was to race at the Marina Bay Circuit. Sainz used to be Norris’ teammate at the Papayas until the former switched to Ferrari in 2021.
Sainz and Norris shared even feelings after the 2023 Singapore GP race
Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris were two leading names in the recently concluded Singapore Grand Prix and therefore were asked to talk about seeing each other together on a rare podium.
Answering this, the Ferrari driver said that it was great for him to share the podium with someone who he respects as a driver, as an athlete, and as a human being.
When it came to Norris, he said that it was a pleasure for him to share the podium with a person he gets along very well. Nevertheless, it was a fine mind game by Sainz that kept Norris at bay with the 0.9 gap despite the friendship.
