Carlos Sainz leaves Monza with bittersweet taste amid Charles Leclerc’s Italian GP win

Carlos Sainz claims Ferrari’s win and fourth-place result at the 2024 Italian GP was not surprising and rather expected. Speaking to media, including Sportskeeda, after the race, the Spanish driver felt that his own race was tricky compared to his teammate Charles Leclerc’s victory and more strategy-dependent than expected.

Ferrari clinched a victory and fourth place in Monza at a circuit where McLaren looked like the favorites. Sainz started the race in fifth place and managed to finish fourth whereas his teammate started fourth and clinched a win. The Spanish driver reckons the tire strategy and tire degradation played a big role in dictating his result. He claims the call to put him on a two-stop strategy was too late to make a difference. He pitted around lap 19 and opted for a one-stop strategy. His second and final stint spanned 34 laps on the hard tire.

Asked by Sportskeeda if the result in Monza was surprising or expected, Carlos Sainz replied:

“No, I think today going into a race in the team we had hopes that it was going to be a very different Monza with a lot of graining and it was very tight between the one and two. And it was going to be all about what's the best to the situation and what has the strategy to what we saw today on track. I think we did a really good job as a team you know to get it right, win with one car.”

“On my side, obviously, we stayed maybe five, six laps out too long because it cost me six, seven seconds of race time to stay out on a grained medium, thinking that the others that had stopped in lap 15 were going to a two-stop, and I was the only one on a one (pitstop). And then by the time I realized it was one, even for the guys that, especially for Charles, had pitted so early, I had lost too much race time. But anyway, congrats because I think we nailed the strategy today and the weekend on a very tricky Monza and we came out with a win and a fourth.”

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Carlos Sainz believes Ferrari was in a genuine fight with the McLarens at the Italian GP in Monza

Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc celebratte Ferrari's win at Monza (Source: Getty)

Carlos Sainz believes the Italian GP result was an important one for Ferrari as the team was in the fight with McLaren at the front. The Maranello team had upgraded its car in Monza but the Spaniard feels it will take another conventional circuit or two to know that the upgrades have worked. He believes that the Monza circuit is too specific in its characteristics to determine whether they had made progress. The iconic circuit was resurfaced with new asphalt and changed corners prior to the race.

Asked how important the result was for Ferrari and if it was a sign of improved form, Carlos Sainz said:

“Yeah, today we were in a genuine race with the McLarens. I think obviously here the tow makes a bit of a difference and I think I lost the tow around lap 15, when they box and I could really feel how slow you become without it. Then they formed a train of three cars and I was in the middle of nowhere with Lewis in my tow following my pace. But I genuinely think today we were in the race with the McLarens, which was great to see."

“At the same time, it's Monza and a very particular Monza. We will need to wait to see more normal tracks to see if this upgrade has really turned our season around and we're going to fight for wins from now on or we are going to go back to what we saw in Zandvoort.”

After the current result, Ferrari is only 31 points behind McLaren, with Red Bull a further eight points clear. Given Red Bull’s struggles and the improved performance of both McLaren and Ferrari, the championship could turn into a three-way battle. In the drivers' championship, Carlos Sainz is fifth and trails Oscar Piastri by 13 points. Leclerc is third, trailing Norris by 33 points. Nevertheless, Ferrari's result in the Italian GP has spiced up the championship and was a delight for the Tifosi present by swathes at the venue.