F1 | Russian GP | Sainz on his podium finish: “The rain arrived when I didn’t have tyres anymore”
The Ferrari driver made it to finish third in a “weird” race at Sochi after suffering from a hard graining on his tyres. Then, the rain came.
The Russian Grand Prix race was revealed as riveting as it was expected to be, especially for Carlos Sainz, who ended on the podium after a graining problem throughout the whole event.
The Ferrari driver began the race leading for the first laps but then his performance has been threatened by a hard graining on his tyres. He had to give up to McLaren and the Prancing Horse had to change the pit-stop strategy for him, putting on the Hard tyres. Then, just a few laps from the chequered flag, the rain came. It somehow “saved” his third podium of the 2021 season, as Ferrari put on the Intermediate compound while almost the rest of the podium challengers decided to go on with their slicks.
Well done team 💪🏻🏎! You have to love it when T-Ricky loves it 😁
— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) September 25, 2021
🎥 @F1
-#carlossainz#essereFerrari pic.twitter.com/CHLGkDs7qR
“I had a great start, and that was our priority. I didn’t want to lose any position and I managed to do that, then I even overtook Lando, I went from the outside of Turn 2 and I just passed him,” – the Spaniard said before jumping on the podium to the Italian broadcast of Sky Sport.
“Unluckily, I had some graining and from then on our race got ugly and we began to suffer. We had to pit very early, putting on the Hard tyres, and I had to manage them a lot” – he continued.
“Then, in the last laps before the end, the rain arrived right in the worst moment for me, because I was definitely running out of tyres. But we came in the box at the right time, that’s how we managed to regain third place. Therefore, it has been a positive race for us. I have been aggressive and super at the start, I told to myself "It is now or never", but I want to improve even more. Next time I'll be first I won't let me fool just like that!”
