Carlos Sainz, winner of the Singapore race, came face to face with unexpected difficulties in Japan. The Spaniard brought home what he could, also unlucky for an undercut which forced him into an unexpected struggle. A sixth position which guarantees some points for the Scuderia in the constructors' battle. What is certain is that the Spaniard's feeling has dropped following the updates brought by the Cavallino to Japan.
Carlos' initial difficulties
Carlos' weekend didn't start in the best way. Since Friday, the Spaniard has struggled to find the feeling right with the Ferrari newly updated. The number 55 he launched himself into the audacious exercise of being an experimenter, suggesting frequently changes to the setup that did not bring the desired results. The new fund did not help the Spaniard, visibly having difficulty understanding the innovations brought to the track. Carlos Sainz came from two consecutive pole positions, in Monza and in Singapore, and certainly a sixth position on the grid will not have helped in view of the race in Japan.
Carlos Sainz's linear race
Carlos had an excellent start at the start of the Suzuka Grand Prix. The number 55 has a good gap and takes over fifth position in spite of Sergio Perez. The Spaniard resists Alonso's threats, and in turn tries to worry Leclerc. The wall calls Carlos on lap 19 to mount the medium compound, even if the driver he wanted to stay outside having a good pace. Then comes the double overtaking on Alonso and Ocon which puts the Madrilenian back in fifth place behind his teammate. At the wall they decide to leave Carlos out, but this allows Hamilton to execute a undercut on the Ferrari driver. The Spaniard stopped on lap 39 and returned to the track behind Lewis. What is in Carlos' favor is the battle between the two Mercedes in front. The rider in red passes Russell and takes home sixth position, exactly the one he started from.
Sainz on the microphones on the Japan match: "I was sacrificed"
Despite the sixth position, Carlos says he is satisfied with his performance"Today I am happy with the start and the race pace. Yesterday was a difficult day, but today the pace was very good. It's a shame about the last stop which cost me the position with Lewis as we were four seconds ahead and came out eight seconds behind. Being behind Charles they stopped with him, while I was sacrificed a bit. A good race for me, I had a lot of pace and did what I wanted.” Regarding Mercedes' team play, Sainz jokingly stated “Luckily it didn't work, because If they had played the DRS game I did in Singapore and it had worked I would have been sorry, but we got them. "
