Sainz may want to point the finger at his boss Fred Vasseur for missing out on the second win this season. The Frenchman jokingly admitted after the race that he didn’t have a crystal ball to predict when the Safety Car would come in.
When asked to comment on his former teammate’s first win at McLaren, Sainz expressed his belief that Lando deserved a win for a long time. He acknowledged Lando’s excellent driving skills and expressed his happiness for him.
However, Sainz couldn’t help but feel frustrated because they were ahead of Lando before the pit stop and the safety car. He believed that if they had gone one more lap, they would have caught up to the safety car and won the race. Nevertheless, Sainz maintained a philosophical perspective, stating that luck favors those who deserve it, and Lando was one of those deserving drivers.
Although Norris may have benefited from the timing of the Safety Car, he demonstrated impeccable driving skills and pulled away from Max Verstappen after the race restarted. Verstappen, on the other hand, struggled with his RB20 throughout the weekend in Miami.
When asked about the amount of effort a driver needs to put in to win, even with luck on their side, Sainz explained the complexity of Formula 1. He emphasized that there are weekends where a driver performs perfectly and finishes in the top positions but doesn’t get recognition because they didn’t win. On the other hand, there are weekends where a driver may not perform at their best but still manages to win. Sainz praised Lando’s consistent performance and stated that he deserved the win, regardless of luck.
Sainz may be lamenting the missed opportunity of a victory in Miami, but in motorsport, “if” and “maybe” don’t matter. Verstappen summed it up well when he said: “If my mother had balls, she would be my father.”
