SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) – Carlos Sainz Jr. he enjoys driving for Ferrari again.
Sainz said he was relieved to be able to enter his strong team after being beaten in a row, including closing in on teammate Charles Leclerc, while heading for third place. Bahrain Grand Prix saturday
Sainz’s first podium finish since October begins his final season with Ferrari at the top. A record 24-race season means it will be more goodbyes before Lewis Hamilton takes his seat next year. Sainz is still looking for a 2025 team.
“It wasn’t a straight and easy race, but I really enjoyed it,” Sainz said, adding that it was his first race since the Austrian Grand Prix in July where he felt free to attack for position without fear of damaging his Ferrari. his tires while following closely behind another car.
“I like racing, and I like to go too far, to be aggressive, to attack. And with last year’s car, it was impossible to do that,” Sainz said.
Bahrain is a serious test of how well the drivers and cars manage their tires, Sainz said, so “to win the attacking race is a relief and gives me the feeling that we will be able to do this more often in the year.”
“It doesn’t mean that we will do every race at all, because I still think one of our strongest parts of our car is qualifying, so I think we will still qualify ahead of what is probably our real position. But at least we don’t degrade (the tires) and protect ourselves as crazy as we were doing last year.”
Sainz was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race last year, though his victory at the Singapore Grand Prix it was about taking care of worn tires for Max Verstappen’s rare day. It was one of three podium finishes all year for the Spanish driver.
However, it was not all good news for Sainz in Bahrain. Both Ferraris struggled with brake problems which Leclerc called “dangerous”. Even in the cold desert night, Sainz said his brakes overheated as he followed other cars but he “tried not to panic”. Despite the issue, he said he made sure passing Leclerc was not too dangerous.
“I’ve never felt closer in a car,” he said. “Every time I pass my teammate I will always try and leave as much margin as possible. I try to do that whenever I feel I am in full control and I don’t put any car at risk.”
Ferrari was the closest rival to the Red Bulls in qualifying too. Leclerc set a time in the second of Friday’s three sessions that would have been good enough if he had managed it in the final shots. He started second but was unable to challenge Verstappen for the lead in the race.
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