Sainz: "Frustrating" France F1 penalty hit when "feeling the best with the car"
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz says his “frustrating” Formula 1 French Grand Prix grid penalty for an engine change has come when he is “probably feeling the best with the car”.
The Silverstone race winner came into the weekend already facing a 10-place grid drop for a change in control electronics, before Ferrari elected to change more power unit elements – triggering a back-of-the-grid start for Sunday’s race.
This follows on from his fiery exit from the Austrian GP two weeks ago.
As a result, Sainz was sent into qualifying at Paul Ricard with the goal of getting to Q3 to help team-mate Charles Leclerc take pole by offering him a tow on the back straight – which he perfectly executed.
But having topped Q2 and been strong all weekend, Sainz feels “the pace this weekend was there to go for pole”.
“It’s a shame it has to come on a weekend that I’m probably feeling the best with the car and I’ve been very quick through yesterday’s practice,” Sainz said.
“Today in qualy, I think my Q2 lap was up there.
“But yeah, happy for the team, happy to see Charles profiting from it and getting the pole. Now it’s time for me to get back to the front tomorrow.
“I know I helped for sure, and I think the team is pretty happy for sure about the way I did it, and the way we executed it as a team.
“It’s frustrating because the pace this weekend was there to go for pole also on my side.
“But we took the penalty and we hope that we can get through [the field].”
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Expanding on why he believes this weekend has been his best of the season so far, Sainz says it is the result of the “little things” he has been finding with the car since his nadir at his home race in Barcelona.
“Monaco, Baku, Canada I was up there fighting for the win; Silverstone I won; Austria on pace I was neck and neck with Charles – and here [I’m level too],” he said.
“If anything, I felt very quick, so it just shows that the progress is paying off and I’m getting there.”
Looking ahead to what he can expect from the race coming from the back of the grid, Sainz concedes that he will be conditioned by how wind will affect his car and how his tyres stand up when following other cars.
“Yes, a lot of tailwind on the two main straights, which is where the overtakes happen,” he said.
“That means the DRS effect and the tow is minimal because the wind is pushing you.
“So, it’s difficult to make it through. Also overheating the tyres when following a car in front of you is not easy, but I will try my best.
“It’s been shown this year. Charles in Canada [when he stormed from the back to fifth], it was not easy to make it through the field, it gets to a point where you need a lot of pace delta to overtake. But I’m going to try my best.”
Related video
Hamilton: Win is ‘going to be a while’ if France F1 form continues
Leclerc: Ferrari got French GP tow tactics wrong on first Q3 run
De Vries cleared of wrongdoing in dispute over €250K loan
Nyck de Vries has been cleared of any wrongdoing in an Amsterdam court over a claim launched against him by real estate magnate Jeroen Schothorst relating to a €250,000 loan.
Horner admits Red Bull’s real RB19 will be ‘somewhat different’
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the real RB19 that will appear in Formula 1 testing in Bahrain later this month will be ‘somewhat different'.
Horner hints at closer links between Mercedes and Williams F1 teams
Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has hinted that there could be a closer relationship between the Mercedes and Williams Formula 1 teams in the wake of James Vowles’s move.
Ford remains committed to WRC amid F1 return
Ford has stated that it remains committed to its programme in the World Rally Championship following confirmation of its return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier from 2026.
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
The potential-laden F1 car that Ferrari neglected
The late Mauro Forghieri played a key role in Ferrari’s mid-1960s turnaround, says STUART CODLING, and his pretty, intricate 1512 was among the most evocative cars of the 1.5-litre era. But a victim of priorities as Formula 1 was deemed less lucrative than success in sportscars, its true potential was never seen in period
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.