Carlos Sainz claims Monza battle against Max Verstappen was his ‘toughest ever’

Carlos Sainz admitted having a tough day at Monza as he lost the race lead to Max Verstappen.

Carlos Sainz claims Monza battle against Max Verstappen was his ‘toughest ever’

Carlos Sainz (image via The Independent), Max Verstappen (image via Formula1news.co.uk)

Carlos Sainz started the Italian GP from pole position. The Spanish driver knew it would be a difficult race with Max Verstappen behind him. Eventually, the 29-year-old lost the lead to the championship leader. However, the Ferrari driver managed to get his first podium of 2023. Now, Sainz has admitted that it was a rather challenging race for him at Monza.

The Spanish driver acknowledged that it was a difficult race for Ferrari. So much so, that Sainz claimed it to be the most challenging drive in his career. The 29-year-old admitted that he did his best to try and keep the Red Bull cars behind him but failed to hold on to the race lead. He said, as reported by Motorsports.com, “Very tough. It can’t get any tougher than it was today. Pushing very hard to keep the Red Bull’s behind me.”

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Carlos Sainz reckoned that he pushed his car to the limit during the race. However, this caused the rear tires to be completely done by the end of the race. Nevertheless, the Spanish driver kept his calm and put in everything to claim his first podium of the season. Sainz explained, “I was pushing hard, and in the end it make me use a lot more of my rear tires. But I was pushing hard today.”

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Carlos Sainz opens up on going wheel-to-wheel with teammate Charles Leclerc

Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc during the Italian GP weekend (image via F1)
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc during the Italian GP weekend (image via F1)

The 29-year-old fought for the last podium spot with teammate Charles Leclerc. Both Ferrari drivers were keen on securing a podium finish in front of the Tifosi at Monza. Sainz eventually got the better of the Monegasque and finished in third place. The Spanish driver claimed that he had an enjoyable time going wheel-to-wheel with his teammate.

The Spanish driver stated, “Hard racing, it’s always a pleasure to race Charles when we had a chance. We had fun out there!” As such, it seems that there will be no conflict between drivers in the Ferrari camp. Although, both Sainz and Leclerc would be talking to the team to work on tire degradation, which was highlighted as a major weakness in this race.

Thus, Carlos Sainz has revealed that his battle with Max Verstappen was perhaps the hardest in his F1 career. The 29-year-old pushed to the limit to hold onto the lead of the Italian GP. Unfortunately, it was not enough against the lightning-quick Red Bull RB-19. However, Sainz was happy to achieve a podium at Ferrari’s home race at the Temple of Speed.

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