(Milan) Ferrari has regained its fighting spirit and it couldn’t have happened in a better place.
Even though the cars didn’t have the same pace as the indomitable Red Bulls, Ferrari pleased their fans with a hot fight for third place at the Italian Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz eventually held off Charles Leclerc for a podium finish at Monza, behind Max Verstappen — who broke a record with a 10th straight win on Sunday — and team-mate Sergio Perez.
“It’s been tough. The race was tough. It’s always a pleasure to race against Charles, when we have the chance. It was the same today, Sainz insisted after the race. He is a great driver, like Max and Checo (Perez). We had fun on the track and I hope the fans had fun watching us too. »
It was Sainz’s first podium this season. The Spaniard, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Friday, claimed the top position in qualifying.
The thousands of fans dressed in red dreamed of a victory for Ferrari in the first 14 laps – the longest streak led by a driver from a team other than Red Bull this season.
Sainz had such a good weekend – he also dominated two of the three practice sessions – that he was asked if he had had the best weekend of his career.
“Of the year, absolutely. From my career at Ferrari, probably. From my career in F1, it’s hard to say, but I feel like I was in control throughout the weekend, said Sainz. I really felt at home. »
As much as Sainz defended well against Verstappen and Perez, it was especially the intense fight with Leclerc during the last laps that caught the eye.
“Honestly, I feel good. Yes, I missed the podium, but Carlos got on it so that’s fine! At least one Ferrari driver is there, said Leclerc. In the end, it was really fun.
“I’m sure a lot of people didn’t appreciate that. The guys in the garages must have had a heart attack or two, the fans too. But for me, Formula 1 should always be like this. »
Ferrari could indeed have suffered a disaster if the two cars had collided. Both riders locked up the wheels under braking at different times, but avoided the worst-case scenario.
The Scuderia have been plagued by bizarre incidents and poor tactical choices over the past two seasons. Not requiring the two riders to just make it to the finish without racing against each other could have added to the list.
“We let our drivers fight for third place because we know it’s special to get on the podium here. We also asked them not to take any risks and they followed this instruction,” insisted team manager Fred Vasseur.
Ferrari will be hoping its drivers will have the same fighting spirit when battling opponents as they try to rob Red Bull of a perfect first season in series history.
Red Bull has won every race so far this season. There are still eight events left on the calendar and the next will be in Singapore on September 17.