F1 News: Carlos Sainz Makes Bold Italian GP Claim - "Optimistic"
Ferrari's most anticipated Formula 1 race appears over the horizon and both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have been gearing forward to their home race where they receive a grand welcome from thousands of fans every year. Sainz has been particularly optimistic about a podium finish in the Italian GP at Monza and there is a good reason for it.
Last weekend, Sainz missed the podium by two places at Zandvoort, a track that isn't exactly known for high speeds when you compare it with circuits like Spa or Monza. And as per Sainz, that is where the catch lies.
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Ferrari's SF-23 performs well on high-speed circuits like Spa where Leclerc secured his podium. But, the same car struggles on circuits such as the CM.com Circuit Zandvoort. This characteristic fills Sainz with the hope that he's got a better chance at a podium finish in Monza.
Speaking to GPBlog, Sainz said:
"Monza, I think we should be back to a decent pace. I know it sounds positive or optimistic right now, but our performance since this year is so high that we could also be looking at being back to second or third fastest car in Monza in front of the Tifosi, especially after such a good result in Spa last time out. I'm more optimistic about that."
You might have noticed how Sainz's optimism limits itself to a second or a third finish at Monza and not a win. That is courtesy of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen who has been winning the last nine GPs in a row in his RB19 F1 car. Fans in Italy too have low expectations of a win by Scuderia Ferrari. Local newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport has headlined the Italian GP 'Dreaming of a miracle,' thus expecting Red Bull's domination in the Italian Grand Prix.
