For the press conference on US GP both pilots speak today Classic Ferrari for sale; Carlos Sainz reveals his statements…
“I also tried to recover from Qatar…”
After commenting on the medallion that Carlos wears at the Austin GP, a Carlos is asked what he did over the past weekend. Weekend spent at New York first of arrival at Austin:
"How did it go in New York? I too tried to recover from Qatar, not so much on a physical level, because I didn't run, but on a mental level because I couldn't take part in the race. Which, in hindsight, if there was a race to miss, Qatar was probably the right one to skip. But we spent a couple of days in New York for an event and I also had the chance to visit the city for the first time: I had never seen it. I had already traveled around the world for Formula 1 for nine years, but I had never been to New York. I spent a couple of days there: I saw a lot of traffic, I really liked the restaurants, the atmosphere, Central Park... But now I'm in Austin and now I'm ready to focus on getting back on track and I also hope to get back on the podium this weekend."
Carlos Sainz USA GP statements
The interview then continues by talking about what Carlos did during the Qatar race, whether he was involved in the strategies or observed with interest:
"No, I was an interested spectator, but of course I looked at the strategies. But I always thought about what I would have done in this case with the strategy, I would have tried to do this, I would have tried to do that... But then I realized that it wasn't worth it, because your frustration increases further: you keep thinking to 'What if..? What if…? Who knows what would have happened… etc. It was frustrating watching the others outside the track, but that's how it went and we hope that... Well, here too, apparently, we will experience a bit of heat in Austin, but I also like the atmosphere at this track on Saturday and Sunday with the fans and also how great it is to drive on this track with the fans! So I hope I can forget about Qatar soon. "
Concerns yes or no?
Sainz must therefore provide his statements on any concerns about US GP, concerns about risk of not starting like in Qatar.
"No, we obviously changed some parts of the car to try to avoid the problem that hit us in Qatar. We also try to find long-term solutions and not short-term ones because it is certainly not something that makes us happy. And we've also had problems like this in the past… So it's a bit of a headache that this fuel tank gives us every now and then, but we tried to resolve it this weekend and hopefully in the short term it won't be a problem."
Sainz on McLaren's recovery ahead of the Austin GP.
The interview then continues by commenting on the McLaren's rise, 79 points behind Ferrari, gap that could be filled:
“Well, if we don't have any more retirements, or missed starts, we should be able to keep up with them. And that doesn't mean they won't beat us: I think they will beat us in most of the races between now and the end of the season if things go smoothly. Because now they really have a very fast car and sometimes they seem to be the only ones who are able to keep up with the Red Bulls. Maybe except in Singapore where we were a little stronger: yesterday I was talking about it with Lando. We were arguing about who among us was in front this weekend between qualifying and the races and we don't know. We'll see who will be stronger."
And who played better golf of the two pilot friends: “Well, we didn't play competitively, but we had fun."
