On his ninth attempt, Carlos Sainz won pole position in Mexico City. He consistently qualified 11th, 10th, 9th, 8th, 7th, 6th, 5th, 2nd and first at this circuit – and was very pleased with the result…
Question: Carlos, brilliant work. In Austin you said you expected strong results from Ferrari, and in Mexico City you won pole. Are you satisfied?
Carlos Sainz: Yes, it’s a lot of fun. I was able to complete two fast laps in Mexico City, which rarely happens: the car slides, it is difficult to complete a lap together here. I’m happy to take pole and confirm the form we showed in Austin. I had high expectations for Mexico City, and so far they have been justified.
Question: At the end of the fast lap you pressed against the pit wall and chose a different trajectory than your rivals…
Carlos Sainz: This is Lando’s trick. I think it’s from iRacing or something like that. He likes to close the distance as much as possible. I told myself I wouldn’t lose anything either. Maybe this will get me a thousandth or two thousandth, and I won’t leave them on the track. At McLaren he does this a lot, at first I was a bit surprised.
Question: Ferrari was concerned about putting the tires in working mode, how are things going with this now?
Carlos Sainz: Yes, tire preparation is a hot topic at Ferrari. We were strong in the races, but something was missing in qualifying. This year the car works effectively with rubber, but in qualifying this sometimes makes it difficult to get the most out of the tires on the first fast lap. I focused on that over the break and made some adjustments in Austin and Mexico City and it seemed to work.
Q: You showed good pace in one lap. How confident are you for the Grand Prix?
Carlos Sainz: Quite confident, because I know that in a race the car has to be fast. The hardest part will be the start and the first turn. I will try to maintain the lead.
Question: Mexico City has the longest stretch from the start to the first turn. How different is your approach to the start here compared to other pole starts?
Carlos Sainz: Almost no different. The most important thing is to move well and drive the first hundred meters, and then I will do everything necessary to defend the position. Behind me there will be two guys fighting for the title, they will try not to take any risks, but I have nothing to lose.
Question: After the drivers’ meeting with the FIA you now know exactly what is and is not allowed. Are there any changes compared to the past?
Carlos Sainz: It was a positive, productive meeting. The riders told us how they think about this or that situation, what we consider the best scenario.
Nothing will change this weekend, the stewards will continue to do the same and there will be some decisions made in Qatar that I hope will make the race better.
Q: With Ferrari’s progress you have a good chance to finish your career at a high level and fight for victory in the Constructors’ Championship…
Carlos Sainz: This is very nice. The car has become more competitive, I have been performing successfully lately – this makes me optimistic in the last five races.
On the other hand, I regret that I will soon be saying goodbye to the team and that I will not be able to compete for championship victory with Ferrari next year. For the past four years I have been part of this team and moving it forward. So now… I don’t know how to say this, I don’t experience very pleasant sensations. But it is what it is.
I will try, as I said, to win races, get on the podium and enjoy the performance. And then we start thinking about the next season.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.