Carlos Sainz: “Ferrari must be proud”

While all the lights were green at Ferrari so that Charles Leclerc held his place on the grid, the Monegasque saw his SF21 encounter a problem with the transmission shaft during his formation lap.

Charles Leclerc on the mat, the Scuderia's hopes then rested on Carlos Sainz, 3rd thanks to the abandonment of his teammate.

With more responsibilities on his shoulders, the Spaniard responded. Much helped by the abandonment of Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) due to a technical problem in the pits, Carlos Sainz put in a solid performance, finishing 2nd and in the process giving Ferrari the first podium of the season.

« This is a good result, admitted Carlos Sainz during the celebrations. If someone had told me before coming to Monaco that I would finish second I would have signed straight away. But the way the weekend unfolded means that the podium perhaps doesn't have the taste it should have. But I'm sure that looking back on this weekend I will be very happy and proud of the result.

Ferrari must also be proud of the car but also of the milestone reached this year ».

Your first @ScuderiaFerrari podium… IN MONACO! #esseFerrari  #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/dt1ebDCaHo

- Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 23, 2021

Asked about his state of mind after Charles's disillusionment, Carlos Sainz admitted that it was indeed different. “ When you see that the other car is not starting, the responsibility suddenly falls on you. I had to save the weekend and with a car at least I wanted to offer the team a podium ».

Finally, the Madrilenian pushed through his efforts and achieved his goal. “ We had to make a good start and manage the traffic well after the stop. Then Valtteri (Bottas) had his problem during his pit stop but even without that I felt good with the car. The team deserved at least one podium this weekend ».

Find the analysis of the Monaco Grand Prix by our experts in AUTOhebdo No. 2313, available from Monday evening in digital version and Wednesday on newsstands.