Carlos Sainz is nervous about Red Bull's pace at the upcoming 2022 F1 Italian GP after their dominant 1-2 finish at Spa. The driver feels the track at Monza suits Red Bull's 2022 challenger but hopes to make life more difficult for the Austrian team.
Max Verstappen plowed through the field at Spa, winning the race despite his P14 start. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz started in pole position after grid penalties but dropped to P3 at the end of the race. His team had no answer for Red Bull's unreal pace throughout the weekend.
Zandvoort's twisty and low-speed nature is likely to help Sainz and Leclerc fight against the two Red Bull drivers. However, the Spaniard is worried about the 2022 Italian GP, which is set to take place a week after the 2022 Dutch GP.
When Carlos Sainz was asked if he was nervous about Red Bull's pace at Monza, he said:
"A bit, yeah, I'm not going to lie. After Spa, if there's a track similar to Spa with similar configurations it’s Monza, no? And we know they are going to be strong there, it’s another track that should suit them but this doesn't mean that we can react from Spa and at least make their life a bit more difficult around Monza.
"You know wins can still happen in different ways. You might not be the fastest but you might find a way to make it around and win so we're going to give it our best shot."
Carlos Sainz claims Red Bull could win at Spa '10 more times'
Carlos Sainz admitted that Red Bull could potentially win the Belgian Grand Prix "10 out of 10" times if they were to return to Spa, given the car's unmatched pace during the race.
Max Verstappen's pace at Spa was that of a rocketship trying to escape the earth's gravitational field, helping him comfortably win the race from P14 on the grid.
Sainz admitted that while it was not long ago that he was able to challenge the Milton Keynes-based team, Red Bull certainly had the "better package" that suited the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. He said in a press conference ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix:
"or sure, they've been raising the bar a bit, race by race, but it doesn't seem too far away ago when in Austria we outraced them by quite a big margin, and in France, it was me passing the Red Bull of Perez coming from the 20th. And that was only two races, three races ago, no. So I don't believe they've improved so much as they did in Spa."
The Spaniard added:
"I think if we would have to go back to Spa ten times, ten out of ten they would win Spa because they just have a better package for that circuit."
Carlos Sainz and his team will be looking to score maximum points this weekend before the sport heads to Monza's historic circuit.