F1 News: Carlos Sainz Reflects On Lost Second Position In Las Vegas GP Qualifying - "Bad Mood"

Carlos Sainz remains hopeful of a strong comeback in the race, despite the setback from a qualifying penalty.

Carlos Sainz expressed both pride and frustration after securing second place in the Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying, only to face a setback due to a battery change penalty which puts him back by ten places.

Key Takeaways:

• Sainz praised his team's effort, emphasising their recovery from a challenging Friday to achieve a front-row lockout in qualifying.
• Despite the team's success, Sainz conveyed his disappointment about starting 12th due to a battery change penalty, instead of a more advantageous position.
• Looking forward to the race, Sainz mentioned concerns about tyre graining and overtaking challenges. He expressed hope for a strong performance, aiming to climb up the ranks and compete for the win, despite starting from a less favourable position.

Carlos Sainz, after securing an impressive second place in qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, faced a mixed bag of emotions as he contemplated his 12th starting position due to a penalty for a battery change. In his post-qualifying interview, Sainz expressed a blend of pride in his team's accomplishment and personal frustration over the penalty.

"First of all an outstanding job by the whole team. We dominated qualifying together after a tough Friday yesterday. We put together the whole car and to get a front-row lockout is incredible," said Sainz.

However, the Spaniard couldn't hide his disappointment regarding the penalty, which overshadowed his qualifying success.

 "Obviously I would love to be on pole because then I would start 11th instead of 12th but we did the maximum that we could today."

The penalty is a result of a battery change caused by the damage from the drain cover during FP1 yesterday. Sainz continued:

"Still disappointed with yesterday [and the penalty]. Not going to lie, still on a very bad mood and trying not to show it too much. But it is what it is."

Looking ahead to the race, Sainz discussed various factors that could influence his performance:

 "[The race] depends how the start goes and the graining on the tyres is. And then how easy it is to overtake. The pace, it clearly looks like we have it this weekend and I would love to be fighting for the win tomorrow with Charles and Max.

"But unfortunately, I'm going to be on the comeback mode and a comeback race. Hopefully, I can get to the front at some point and battle with them but I think it's going to be tricky."