Ferrari admits Carlos Sainz was the mastermind behind Lando Norris-DRS call to fend off Mercedes threat at Singapore GP
Carlos Sainz takes Ferrari to first win since Austria 2022.
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Carlos Sainz celebrating his victory at the Singapore GP (image via IMAGO)
Carlos Sainz took a sensational win at the Singapore GP. The Spanish driver started from pole position and stayed in the lead despite facing three cars in the final stages of the race. The 29-year-old fell back deliberately to give DRS to second-placed Lando Norris to allow the McLaren to battle against the two Mercedes. Now, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has given full credit for this tactic to Sainz.
Vasseur revealed that it was Carlos Sainz who decided to follow this strategy. The Frenchman pointed out that the 29-year-old was aware that George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were a much bigger threat than Norris as they were on much fresher tires. He said, as reported by Autosport, “It was the idea of Carlos. I don’t want to say it’s obvious, but he knew he was more at risk with Mercedes than with Norris.”
The Ferrari Team Principal mentioned that Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris were putting in similar lap times at that point. Vasseur claimed that only rapid tire degradation could’ve allowed the McLaren to pass Sainz. As such, the Frenchman praised the 29-year-old for this smart call. Fred Vasseur stated, “With Norris, we had the same tires and almost the same pace from lap one. We were not really at risk with Norris except if we lost the tires. So it was a clever move from Carlos.”
Carlos Sainz takes Ferrari’s first race win since Austria 2022
Scuderia Ferrari had struggled in the early part of the 2023 season. Maranello was nowhere in terms of performance compared to Mercedes and Aston Martin. However, the rapid development of the SF23 has allowed the Prancing Horse to once again race at the front of the pack. Although, Carlos Sainz’s victory at the Marina Bay Circuit is expected to be a one-off. As Red Bull will likely get back up to speed at Suzuka.
The Spanish driver has had a major upturn in his performance since F1 returned from the summer break. Sainz clinched his first podium finish of the season at the team’s home race in Italy after battling teammate Charles Leclerc. Now, Carlos Sainz has truly established himself as the in-form Ferrari driver with Leclerc only managing a P4 in Singapore.
Sainz will have the momentum heading into the next round in Japan. The Spanish driver’s incredible drive at the Singapore GP would serve as a major morale boost for the remainder of the year. However, it remains to be seen how Ferrari and Sainz perform in the following races as Red Bull bounces back after a shocking weekend.
In case you missed it:
- Christian Horner claims the anti-flexi technical directive had ‘zero’ role in Red Bull’s horrendous Singapore GP outing
- Martin Brundle apologizes to Oscar Piastri for one of the biggest snubs in F1 grid walk history
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Armaan Agarwal
(2310 Articles Published)