Carlos Sainz: Our goal is to win the race

Carlos Sainz won pole position for the second stage in a row, posting the best time in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix. His teammate Charles Leclerc will start third, just like two weeks ago in Monza. If the Ferrari drivers had not estimated their chances of winning high in the last stage, they would be more optimistic in Singapore

Carlos Sainz (1st): “Just like in Monza, we are fast from the first training session. I was very confident in all sessions and in the last qualifying I managed to set a fast lap. I just focused on not making any mistakes on the last try. In Singapore everything usually works out fine if you drive the lap neatly.

Our car is very good on certain tracks and in certain conditions. With short apexes and quick changes of direction, our car looks fast this weekend.

We know that race pace is our weak point and we usually pay the price for that. But I think the team has done a great job in recent weeks to understand the car better. We have certainly made some progress, but at the same time keep in mind that this track has always suited Ferrari well.

In racing, Mercedes is usually faster than us, and tomorrow they will have a different tire strategy, so we will have to keep an eye on them. But I will still be more focused on my race and do well in the first stint and then in the difficult stint. Our goal is to win the race.”

Charles Leclerc (3rd): “Very difficult qualifying, as always, but today it was even more difficult due to overheating of the tires. You should always look for a balance between the first and the last sector.

The battle is very exciting and the Mercedes drivers were particularly fast today. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough to regain a few positions. Carlos did a great job and we will start from first and third tomorrow.

There is no doubt that physical activity will be one of the problems in the race, but the most important thing is that we had shown very good speed up to this point.

We didn’t expect to be competitive on such a track, but we were. This is a good sign for the future.”