Carlos Sainz Reflects on the F1 Race He Treated as a ‘Title Decider’ With McLaren

Ferrari has made their pick for the 2021 season; Carlos Sainz Jr will replace Sebastian Vettel. The McLaren driver had been phenomenal in his 2019 season, scoring a P6 in the driver’s championship. The Italians’ choice was sudden, but not surprising.

They signed the Spaniard early in 2020. Even though many questioned the decision because of Ferrari’s form for the season, Carlos was optimistic. He later revealed that he did not sign with Ferrari in a moment of fit. The designs and plan had actually pleased him, and thus, his decision.

Before Sainz’s last stint with McLaren, the English constructors had a ‘trip down memory lane’ session with him. Touring and narrating the various races in his years with McLaren, Carlos narrated a tense 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“With everything pretty much decided coming into the final round of the season, one of the biggest question marks was who was going to finish sixth in the Drivers’ Championship. This meant a lot of eyes were on Pierre [Gasly], Alex and me.

“Around mid-point of the race, I was running out of the points and realised that if things stayed the same, I was going miss out on that sixth place by one point!” recalled Sainz.

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Carlos Sainz Jr hopes Abu Dhabi 2019 experience to help in the future

The fight for P6 was intense. As Carlos Sainz narrates, three racers lined up for the spot and had it not been for the last minute strategy shift by Sainz, he may have missed it.

The determination and will power required to drive an F1 car past the checkered line are immense. F1 is a very demanding sport, with the arrow of competition speeding past every racer. Thus, motivation and inspiration are a prime factor at the eleventh hour, the last laps.

Carlos’ narration explains the adrenaline shooting through his veins during the last few laps at Abu Dhabi. With Hulkenberg trailing ahead of him, Carlos could see P6 drifting away from him. At such an hour, Carlos treated it as much more than it was, a title decider.

“Those final laps were pretty hectic. I had to recover something like 1.5 seconds a lap to catch up to Hülkenberg. As we all know, in F1 it’s one thing to catch someone and another thing to pass them.

“I went into maximum engine mode, dived down the inside of Turn 11, braked incredibly late and somehow made it stick for 10th place and the one point I needed.

“It was one of the highest levels of adrenaline and emotion I’ve experienced in an F1 car. But it wasn’t so much about finishing sixth in the championship, it was more about what I had built it up to be in my mind. I treated that race like a title decider,” concluded Sainz.

Carlos will aim at clinching his first championship with Ferrari next season. Although the pundits don’t have high hopes from the Italians, Carlos believes in his future team. His determination with McLaren was efficient, which the team had helped him in. If Ferrari provides that incentive, Sainz may as well nourish very well.

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