Carlos Sainz in Abu Dhabi closes the second consecutive weekend with a disappointing performance. Here, where every little point would have been fundamental for the constructors' championship, the Spanish driver did not find the feeling with the hard tyres, the only constant in his race. “A difficult race” he admits.
No happy ending for Sainz in Abu Dhabi
Sainz, who could have concluded the race with a smile and the awareness of being the only driver, in 2023, to have taken a victory away from Red Bull, leaves the circuit dejectedly. Yas Marina. There is no smile on his face, because in Abu Dhabi, after the mistake in free practice, he doesn't even finish the race and appears to have retired. Ferrari's strategic choice to start with the white tires does not seem to have been favorable to Sainz, who comments as follows:
“A very difficult race from my point of view, the hard tire never came on and we always choose to start with this”
The driver was retired after his last pit stop on the last lap. A necessary pit stop for Ferrari, which had to comply with the obligation to demark the compound. The Maranello team had opted for a white-on-white tire change, with the idea of a two-stop race. The hard compound was not favorable to Sainz's race and he only managed to climb back to tenth position before the last pit.
AAA LUCK WANTED
A tail of unfortunate events that carries over from the last grand prix, where feeling and fate were lacking for Sainz. It is impossible to explain this sudden change in performance, after the unfair penalty received in Las Vegas for the accident with the manhole cover. The Spaniard he admitted, moved in search of a little luck.
“We tried our luck in these two races, after the accident in Las Vegas everything went wrong for me and we lost the chance of finishing second. They were two difficult races to digest."
