Sainz downplays Monaco F1 podium chances: “Nothing is good about today”
Sainz is set to start Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix from fourth on the grid, while Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc claimed a sensational pole position.
Like Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz was left to rue Leclerc’s shunt at the end of qualifying which resulted in the red flag stoppage, ruining the Spaniard’s final lap in Q3.
Had it not been for Leclerc’s crash, Sainz felt Ferrari could have secured a 1-2 front row lock-out in the principality.
“Very disappointed to be honest, a difficult thing to accept, to digest, it’s not like every day of your life you have the opportunity to put it on pole in Monaco because today I definitely had the pace to do so, but due to the circumstances, I didn’t. It's a very frustrating day for me,” Sainz said after qualifying.
“Run one, I lost 2-3 tenths in the last sector compared to my best lap so I knew a 10.2, 10.1 with the track evolution was there. I had a lot of traffic, Perez into turn 1, and I already lost a tenth, but then I was recovering the lap time and knew I had the lap time in the last sector, but it was out of 13 I saw the yellow flag and had to abort.
“I have had the pace to put it on pole, so yeah, I’m starting fourth, so not even close to that. I went in quali thinking a pole and the win would be possible and now I’m lining up fourth which is very far away from where I think I could have been.”
Sainz doubts a podium finish is realistic given that he will be starting on the dirty of the grid in fourth - with overtaking very difficult around the streets of Monaco, the start of the race is critical.
“Yeah but I have the pace, on Thursday I had the pace, [it] was very competitive,” Sainz added. “If you tell me I start P2 maybe I have a chance to win but I’m starting fourth which is the most painful thing of all. Second row, dirty side, is a place that is not very good going to Sunday.
“That’s why my brain right now is so upset, so frustrated because nothing is good about today.”
