Carlos Sainz is continuing to make step-by-step progress with his adaptation to the Williams car and hopes that he will soon be able to show his best version, something that is complicated with only three races with his new car. The Spaniard has also expressed his annoyance at the fine he received for arriving five seconds late for the Japanese national anthem due to a stomach problem.
Carlos Sainz makes progress in his adaptation
Carlos Sainz’s preseason expectations pointed to a promising start to the season for the Spaniard. But the track has put everyone in their place and it has become clear that he is still far from his best level, something he is achieving race after race. In that sense he was asked at a press conference and he was forceful with his response.
“If you expect to see the best of Carlos Sainz in three races in a new car, you don’t understand the sport very well”.
Carlos Sainz recognizes that there are things that don’t quite work out for him, although others do go as he hopes. That’s why he’s hoping for that first grand prix where everything goes right so he can measure what his real expectations are for the championship.
“We’re not as far away as it seems, I just need to have a perfect whole weekend, it’ll come”.
Anger with the FIA
Carlos Sainz received a fine at the last Grand Prix in Japan for being late for the playing of the Japanese national anthem. The surprise has been the size of the fine, 10,000 euros, and even more so because he was only five seconds late and this was due to a medical problem that prevented him from being on time.
“Paying 10,000 euros for five seconds is disproportionate“. ‘Sometimes this shit happens, it has been very expensive’. ‘I am a great advocate of punctuality and of being, in a way, a gentleman, punctual in everything, especially in a national anthem with all the authorities present’. ‘So I was the first to raise my hand and say, ’I was late, I’m sorry’”.
Carlos Sainz is the first to know what his obligations are as a driver, but in the face of medical problems, in this case stomach problems, and with only a five-second delay, I don’t understand how the FIA has been so strict, but that’s his lot.
Options for the Bahrain F1 GP
Carlos Sainz continues to take steps forward in his adaptation to the Williams team. In the last race, where he was penalised and started further back than where he had qualified (three places for holding up Hamilton), he completed his best race even though this was not reflected in the final result. He was the most active driver on the track and the one who made the most overtaking manoeuvres, even on a circuit where it was very difficult to do so.
He arrives in Bahrain, back on the track where he flew in pre-season with the FW47, setting the fastest time of the entire pre-season. He knows the circuit well, he likes it, and he hopes to be able to get the most out of the car to complete his best race. The Spaniard’s objective is to finish in the points and finish above his team-mate, Alexander Albon, who has had a much better start to the season than expected, having taken advantage of Williams’ step forward compared to last year.
Carlos Sainz is getting closer and closer to his best level, and he hopes that the quality of a driver who was fighting for victories last season, and got them, will soon come to the fore. Now he has to go through a period of adaptation in a car with much less performance.