Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz finished P2 and P3 respectively in Monaco, but they needed luck on their side. On the very first lap of the race, they made contact which could have resulted in disaster for both drivers. However, with no eventual retirement for either, Sainz was able to see the incident lightheartedly, jokingly claiming that there was a ‘magnet’ between them.
Sainz knew that his only opportunity to overtake Piastri would come on lap one in the first corner. As a result, he didn’t hold back and ended up making slight contact with the Aussie in his failed attempt at passing.
Citing his previous close calls with Piastri, Sainz said in the post-race press conference,
“For some reason, Oscar [Piastri] and I, we seem to have a magnet, recently, between each other.”
Watch the incident with Carlos and Piastri at the start ⤵️https://t.co/rLdpefD5bJ
— Scuderia Fans (@ScuderiaFansF1) May 26, 2024
In 2023, Sainz made contact with Piastri on lap one of the Belgian GP, resulting in a DNF for the latter. In the same race, Sainz himself retired 22 laps later. Even earlier this season, Sainz and Piastri came together in Miami; this time, resulting in a five-second time penalty for the former.
Sainz doesn’t understand how he finds Piastri on track so often. But, he insists they get along well, which is why he cracked a ‘magnet’ joke after the Monaco GP.
His incident last Sunday, however, was surprising particularly because the Madrid-born driver had no idea that he made contact with Piastri.
Carlos Sainz was unaware of the contact with Oscar Piastri
After the race, Sainz referred to his shunt with Piastri as the ‘lightest of touches’. He put his head down and carried on with his race normally, only for him to realize that his front left tire had a puncture. That is why he stopped his car in front of the casino.
Sergio Perez’in aracından kaza anı. #Formula1
pic.twitter.com/g2NoM3yFkj— BPT (@bpthaber) May 26, 2024
Thankfully for Sainz, the red flags were out, owing to a horror crash between Sergio Perez and the Haas cars. Sainz could hobble back into the pits, fit in new tires, and restart the race from P3.
Thereafter, he didn’t make the same mistake again and finished third, bringing home a double podium for Ferrari. Piastri split him and race winner Charles Leclerc in a Monaco GP that was dominated by McLaren and the Maranello-based outfit.
It was a signal that Red Bull isn’t the most dominant team anymore. And that both McLaren and Ferrari will be in contention for race wins in the subsequent races.
