Carlos Sainz timed the lap correctly and took the first first place of his career.
– Huh? I felt awful! He answers confused after the finish line.
The sky opened and rain fell during qualifying for the British Grand Prix. It created difficult conditions for the drivers and just in time for the third quarter the rain stopped.
That made times better, and there was a battle between the Red Bull leader Max Verstappen, the Red Bull team leader, and Charles Leclerc, Ferrari.
But none of them took center stage and instead Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was the best at his lap timing. He set his fastest time on the last lap, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc sprinted away, forcing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to back out.
There were major problems with water remaining on the track and it was easy for the car to leak. Plus, it was very difficult to get the tires to the right temperature, so I thought I’d shut down a lap, and it wasn’t really that special, says Carlos Sainz.
– That’s why I was completely surprised that it was enough to get first place.
First place for Carlos Sainz in Formula 1
It was his first position in his Formula One career, and now he has his first starting position, in a race that can be run in very different conditions as the risk of rain during Sunday afternoon is only 20 percent.
This means that the Spaniard has good conditions for the first victory of his career.
– I think I can turn that into a win, we’ve made some changes to the car and are in really good shape, although I expect Max and Charles to push me through the race.
Ferrari is betting on revenge
For Ferrari, the first place for Carlos Sainz is a statement, the team has not won a race since the Australian Grand Prix in April and needs to fight back not to lose too much to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who leads the World Cup.
Verstappen was the best looking driver in most temperatures, but had to fall back on the last lap when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc got involved.
– The final part of qualifying will be like a lottery, it’s about setting the time in time, says Max Verstappen, who now starts in second place.
– I was held back by that yellow flag that appeared right in front of me, but I still started in the front row knowing we had a really good car, no matter if it was raining or dry.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, starts from the third grid, next to Sergio Perez, Red Bull while Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is fifth.
Victory if Red Bull falters – talk about Formula 1 in the F1 blog
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