Carlos Sainz held up a big slide into the final corner in his pursuit of pole for the Canadian Grand Prix – but when he missed and would start in third place, he still believed Max Verstappen to win. can take the fight.
Spaniard teammate Charles Leclerc will be 19th after picking up a suite of new engine components that have triggered heavy grid penalties, and mean Sainz remains Ferrari’s main hope of victory.
Read more: Verstappen faces wet conditions to claim Canadian GP pole ahead of sensational Alonso
His initial goal will be to overtake countryman and friend Fernando Alonso, who starts a brilliant second after mastering the wet conditions – with Sainz at the risk of Verstappen running the distance if he can’t manage it. .
“It will be important” [to pass Alonso] So we can leave Max behind as soon as possible,” and from there try and push Red Bull into one strategy or something different. I think we have a good chance – we just need to make sure we get past them as quickly as possible, and if not, pass them early.”
Sainz looked like he had the momentum for the front row – but he admitted he pushed too hard in the end zone.
“It was a moment,” he said. “Trying to get back that last tenth or two that Max had taken advantage of on us during the whole day. I really wanted to get it, but in the end it cost me more than it cost me I was leaving. But it is as it is.
“I did a really good sector, then in sector two I felt the lap going away from me, and in sector three I decided to try really hard to see if I could get pole. did, but it ended up costing me more than half a second.”
Meanwhile, Leclerc called it quits a day after Q1, despite advancing into the next session, knowing he was destined to start from behind anyway because of a penalty.
Read more: Leclerc to join Tsunoda at the back of Montreal grid after power unit change
“It was nice to do a few push laps in the wet, obviously without taking too much risk because I couldn’t damage the car for tomorrow,” he said. “But overall, it’s okay, and the feeling was good so it’s always good.”
‘I hope we can make it through the field’ – Leclerc prepares for back row start at Canadian Grand Prix
Ferrari matches Red Bull’s race pace well according to our Friday figures, thus Leclerc hopes to progress in points and limit losses in the drivers’ standings.
“I have to say overtaking was a little more difficult than I expected yesterday,” he said. “I hope we can make it through the field as quickly as possible and then the pace will at least give us a good chance of coming back.”
