"We got what we deserved" - Carlos Sainz calls his P3 finish a 'decent result' at 2022 F1 Miami GP

Carlos Sainz finished P3 in the 2022 F1 Miami GP. The Spaniard lost one place to race winner Max Verstappen at the start of the event, but he held off Sergio Perez brilliantly to take yet another podium for Ferrari.

Carlos Sainz has had a rough couple of races after failing to complete a race in both Australia and Imola. The 27-year-old driver also made an error on Friday, landing his Ferrari in the wall. However, Sainz recovered in qualifying, finishing the session in P2 behind his teammate Charles Leclerc.

After losing a position to Red Bull driver Max Verstappen at the start of the race, the Spaniard held off a rapidly approaching Sergio Perez for the remainder of the event and finished a well-deserved P3.

Speaking to Willy T. Ribbs in parc fermé after the race, Sainz said:

"I have been better. Obviously after the crash on Friday, I still had a little bit of neck pain going into the race but I had to manage it and I fought through it. Especially with Checo at the end on the medium tyres he was very difficult to keep behind, but we managed to keep the volume which is a decent result.

He continued:

It wasn't easy at all. It has been a tough race with the tyres and the heat, the car was moving and sliding a lot and we got what we deserved I think which is a decent P3 and we can build it up from here."

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Carlos Sainz retains his confidence despite poor couple of races

Carlos Sainz was on the backfoot compared to his teammate and championship leader Charles Leclerc after crashing out in Imola and Australia. While many claimed the driver had lost his confidence, the Spaniard believes he would not 'be pushing' if that were the case. It seems his confidence has paid off, as the 27-year-old scored a brilliant podium in the 2022 F1 Miami GP, pipping Sergio Perez.

Carlos Sainz explained after qualifying:

“I mean, if anything, today shows that confidence is not a limitation because I wouldn’t be going out there and pushing as much as I did. I wouldn’t have gone out there yesterday and pushed as much as I did. As you mentioned, confidence is still there, that’s why I’m still pushing and I’m still pushing myself to improve with this car and to challenge myself to drive differently in some corners, try to change a bit the set-up here and there to put it more to my liking so confidence is there, it’s a matter, I think, of putting everything together and putting the weekend too.”

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With the 2022 season having more races than ever before, Carlos Sainz has plenty of time to score points and potentially take a stab at the drivers' championship.