Carlos Sainz was left bitter. At the Miami circuit, Williams showed it was the fourth-fastest team in the race, very close to Mercedes, thanks to a great performance by Alexander Albon, who finished fifth.
The Spaniard, on the other hand, could do no better than ninth. While Albon’s race was mostly trouble-free, Carlos’s was filled with issues even before the start.
He had to start the race on used tyres due to operational errors by the team, which forced him to use all his new tyres in qualifying. Carlos Sainz also damaged his FW47 in a contact with his teammate just meters after the start.
Despite the damaged car and worn tyres (unlike the fresh sets used by others), Carlos Sainz managed the opening laps fairly well.
“First of all, due to some operational mistakes during the weekend, we were forced to start the race on a set of used tyres from qualifying, while everyone around me was on fresh ones. So I already knew we’d struggle, losing a couple of tenths per lap in the first stint.”
Once he got past Albon, Carlos Sainz’s tyres began to drop off more significantly. According to Carlos, the Williams pit wall had frozen positions on track. However, Albon overtook him anyway despite the team order.
“New tyres versus my used ones, and obviously from that point on I tried everything to keep pace in that first lap. I picked up some damage at the start in the contact with Alex, then he made a mistake and I managed to get past him. After I overtook him, the team told us we were freezing positions, so I don’t know whether he got the message or not, but he overtook me anyway.”
“From that point on in the first stint, I tried everything I could to stay with that group, keeping Charles behind with used tyres and a damaged car. I believe I was the first in that group to pit, then the Virtual Safety Car came out, so everyone else got a free stop—or at least a shorter one compared to mine—which obviously meant I came under pressure from them after the VSC.”
Carlos Sainz fought hard to fend off the Ferraris for much of the race, but the damage from the contact with Alex Albon cost his car some downforce, and therefore performance. That allowed the Ferraris to overtake him and finish just ahead.
“I had some nice battles with the Ferraris, but the damage to the car meant I couldn’t stay close through the first sector with full downforce, and I couldn’t get the better of them in the fights. On the hard tyres the pace was decent, considering the damage and the early pit stop, but there were just too many factors at play.”
“I think in Miami we were fighting with Mercedes and Ferrari, which is really encouraging. I strongly believe that with new tyres and no damage to the car, I could’ve fought for fifth place, even from where I started. So it’s disappointing not to have maximised our pace this weekend. But as I said, there were too many operational errors. We’ll go home and see how we can improve, because next time we have a competitive car, I want to be the driver who gets the most out of it.”
What gives Carlos Sainz optimism for the upcoming races is the balance of his car. Until now, he had only felt it this well-balanced during Bahrain testing.
“For sure, this weekend the balance was in the perfect window. It’s the first time since Bahrain testing that the car felt this good. When we’re competitive, we’re not that far off the top teams. On tracks that suit our car’s characteristics, we can fight for strong positions. On others, I’m sure we won’t.”
The former Ferrari driver also commented on his last-lap move, when he tried to pass Lewis Hamilton in the final few hundred metres before the finish line. He believes the contact was caused by Hamilton’s defensive move, which he also considers illegal.
“Lewis did his best to defend the position. I had a chance to pass him in the final corner, but he moved just as I began the move. That caused the contact, and I think it’s something you see quite often. But if we go strictly by the written rules, Lewis shouldn’t have moved as much as he did. But that’s how things go on the final lap.”
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