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via Reuters

via Reuters

Despite a difficult Saturday, Carlos Sainz put in a great shift on Sunday in the Styrian Grand Prix. Although he started the race in P12, several quick laps on hard tires and an effective strategy helped him to a P6 finish.

Ferrari took home 14 points from Sunday after Charles Leclerc completed a strong recovery drive to finish behind Sainz in P7. After the race, Sainz’s engineer didn’t hold back in congratulating his driver, testing his singing skills in the process.

Sainz’s engineer, Riccardo Adami, sings for him after the Styrian Grand Prix

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Sainz often sang on the radio during his days at McLaren. Although those days are well in the past, his classic ‘Smooth Operator’ still rings in the ears of fans across the world.

While Ferrari aren’t known for playful interactions on their team radio, Sainz’s influence seems to be growing on the team. After an impressive P6 finish in the Styrian Grand Prix, his race engineer Riccardo Adami gave his congratulations with a hilarious twist.

He said, “P6, P6! Super race, well done! Baby Shark, Baby Shark!”

The Spaniard initially laughed at the 47-year-old’s singing, before responding, “Thank you guys. Good race, very solid. Hard work pays off, so much better race pace this time.”

Before Sainz, Adami was Sebastian Vettel‘s race engineer. Although the Italian didn’t sing to him a lot, Vettel certainly sang a song or two on the radio. It seems those habits are catching on to Adami, who didn’t hesitate to jump on the Spaniard‘s singing bandwagon this weekend.

READ MORE: Why did Ferrari Sign Carlos Sainz?

Carlos Sainz happy with race pace on Sunday

Ferrari certainly looked more competitive than their last outing in France, which showed in the race result. A well-executed strategy on hard tires complemented Sainz’s quick pace to round off a strong response for Ferrari in the Styrian mountains.

via Reuters

After the race, Sainz believed he showed good pace after his pit stop in Lap 41, which Adami acknowledged. “Pace must have been pretty good, no? After the pit stop. When everyone pitted and I stayed out,” said Sainz.

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“Yeah, that pace there was unbelievably fast,” said Adami.

With the Austrian Grand Prix coming up on the same track, Sainz will look to continue his good run of form. While Ferrari looked in better shape this past weekend, they still trail McLaren by 12 points in the constructor’s championship.

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Can the Spaniard build on his P6 finish in the Red Bull Ring on July 4? Only time will tell.

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