Sainz disillusioned: “Red Bull and Max were in their own league”

He may have given everything but he could do nothing: Carlos Sainz did not hold up against the two Red Bulls. The pilot Ferrari, who started in pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix, was unable to keep up with the pace of the single-seaters Milton Keynes. Max Verstappen overtook the Spaniard on the 12th lap and quickly escaped at the front.

During post-race interviews, Carlos Sainz was disillusioned with his team's lack of performance. car. “It was more complicated than expected today. We had a good start, a good restart after the Safety Car… but the pace just wasn't there. My tires were overheating, I was sliding a lot. For certain reasons, our package was not performing well this weekend. In the end, we finish on the podium, we’re going to take it…”

“We just had to survive” explains Sainz

Carlos Sainz has also long been threatened behind him by George Russell. By his own admissions, the Madrilenian did not think he could contain the Mercedes. “Our first two laps were very good, but suddenly we suffered a big deterioration. I realized we were degrading our tires more than we should have. » Ultimately, the Spaniard had to settle for 3rd place, far, very far from the two leaders. “Red Bull and Max were in their own league. Unfortunately, we couldn't provide them with a fight, we just had to survive. We will continue to work and see why we were not competitive here. »

If Ferrari was out of the running at Spa, the Scuderia hopes to make up for it next weekend in the Netherlands. “Zandvoort should be a better track for us. Monza will be more for Red Bull, but we will first try to win at Zandvoort,” said Sainz, who returns to the podium for the first time since his victory at Silverstone. 

ALSO READ > Belgian GP: Verstappen brilliant, Hamilton disappointing… AUTOhebdo notes