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Carlos Sainz feels he could have won the 2022 F1 Monaco GP had he not been stuck in traffic after his first pit stop during the race.
The 27-year-old picked up his second consecutive podium finish in the Principality. Despite that, disappointment was etched all over his face during the post-race interview with David Coulthard for Sky Sports F1.
When asked to share his thoughts on what was ultimately a frenetic and unpredictable race, Carlos Sainz said:
“I felt like we did everything that we had to do out there. We stayed patient on the wets, we got it right by going onto the slicks. Being stuck behind a lapped car cost me the race win today so you can understand the frustration because a clean out lap would have secured me the race win today but it is how this sport is sometimes.”
A sudden and abrupt downpour had initially delayed the race before all drivers came out on wet weather tires behind the safety car. The Spaniard started the race in P2 behind his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
As the track started to dry up, Carlos Sainz was one of the first drivers to confirm a switch to dry tires for his first pit stop. When asked about the gamble and the calculations that led to it, he said:
“Yeah, I knew it from halfway through the race. During the first stint, I started to see the dry line and I started to realize that it was going to go straight into slicks. I think we did the right call as we were leading the race basically. Then we pitted for the hard tire, obviously hard is never easy on the out lap.”
He went on to add:
“But I had to do 12 corners behind the lapped car which cost me a couple of seconds and cost me the race but I am not going to complain too much. I know that [in] this sport it goes like that. Checo [Sergio Perez] was unlucky in Jeddah. Obviously, today he did a great race and got a bit lucky with myself. In this sport it will turn around one day or later.”
"I was really close to launching a move" - Carlos Sainz explains how tricky track conditions stopped him from winning the 2022 F1 Monaco GP
Carlos Sainz also blamed graining tires and slippery track conditions for his inability to contest the win against Red Bull's Sergio Perez at the 2022 F1 Monaco GP.
During the aforementioned interview with David Coulthard, the Ferrari driver was asked if he considered attacking the Mexican for the lead, what with the latter struggling for grip on his medium tires. He replied:
“I mean, you can see I have quite a lot of graining myself too, specially at the rear. Which made the entry of the tunnel quite difficult to get close and to pass. A couple of times, I was really close to launching a move into there, but it was still a little bit wet in the inside. Checo was braking quite late. I think if I would have braked any later, I would have taken him out with me.”
Sainz currently places P5 in the World Drivers' Championship with 83 points heading into the 2022 F1 Azerbaijan GP in Baku.
