Carlos Sainz Jr from Spain suffered an accident during the qualifying session for the Chinese Formula 1 Grand Prix. Sainz explained that his maneuvers on the steering wheel saved him from an early end to his qualifying session. He lost control of his Ferrari car on the final corner and almost hit the opposite barrier. Fortunately, he managed to make it back to the pits and change the front wing of his car. Despite the setback, Sainz was able to return to the track and secure the seventh starting position for the race. However, he admits that the Ferrari is lacking speed compared to its competitors.
Sainz acknowledged that crashing during Q2 was not ideal, but he managed to minimize the damage by maneuvering in a certain way. He made sure to hit the barrier at the best possible angle to avoid damaging the rear suspension and wing of his car. Despite the accident, Sainz had confidence in his car and was able to push hard during his laps. However, he admits that the lack of rhythm caused by the accident affected his overall performance. Sainz believes that this weekend was not strong for Ferrari as a team and that the Shanghai track is not favorable for them. However, he remains optimistic for the race.
In the previous race in Suzuka, Ferrari found themselves behind McLaren on the grid. However, both Sainz and his teammate Charles Leclerc managed to use different strategies to move forward. Sainz believes that the Ferrari car performs better in race pace compared to speed in a single lap, which gives him hope for another podium. He sees McLaren, especially with Fernando Alonso, as his main target. Despite McLaren’s faster pace in qualifying, Sainz believes that things can change during the race and they will do their best to react.
