"I was quicker in every corner but slower in every straight" - Carlos Sainz rues lack of a tow after coming 3rd in 2022 F1 Italian GP qualifying

F1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands - Qualifying
Third placed qualifier Carlos Sainz attends the press conference after qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands at Circuit Zandvoort on September 03, 2022 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Carlos Sainz set the third-fastest lap time this afternoon at the 2022 F1 Italian Grand Prix. The Spaniard, however, will be starting the main race at the back of the grid on Sunday as a result of an engine penalty.

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Sainz was on provisional pole for quite some time after showing some exceptional pace during Q3. His teammate Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, however, went quicker on the final lap, pushing him to third.

In a post-qualifying media interaction, Carlos Sainz admitted that while he was very happy with the session, the lack of a tow certainly did not help his cause. He said:

“It was honestly a very good qualy session. I was feeling very well and I was pushing flat out through Q1, Q2, and Q3, the only issue is I didn’t have a tow and this probably cost me a few tenths battling for position. But I am starting at the back tomorrow so it doesn’t change my life. I had to take some risks to compensate for the lack of tow. I was quicker in every corner but slower in every straight so I couldn’t improve much.”
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The Spaniard is one of many drivers, including championship leader Max Verstappen, who are taking a penalty this weekend. The slew of penalties does not come as a surprise given the nature of Monza as a circuit that is relatively easy to overtake on. Consequently, Carlos Sainz will be starting Sunday's race from P18, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda.


Carlos Sainz receives fourth reprimand of 2022 F1 season

Carlos Sainz received his fourth reprimand of the 2022 F1 season for driving "unnecessarily slowly" during Saturday's Italian GP practice, which led to negative results for Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas. The Ferrari driver is now one reprimand away from receiving a 10-place grid penalty.

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As reported by GPFans, a stewards' report read:

“The driver argued that he had to drive below 60km/h on his in-lap in order to cool down his tyres. The stewards checked the telemetry of a number of other cars, including that of his team-mate [Charles Leclerc] and noted the other cars were at least 20km/h faster at turn one than car 55 [which at one point during this incident was recorded at 50km/h]. The stewards also considered, in possible mitigation, the driver of car 55 checked his mirrors no less than six times between the control line and the entry to turn one.”
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“However, the fact remains that he drove unnecessarily slowly and as a result, a potentially dangerous situation was created. Further, the team is formally warned it needs to be more alert in informing its drivers of approaching cars and it is wrong to assume that cars will always do a cool-down lap after a push lap. In this case, the driver received no information at all from the team about the rapid approach of car 77 [Bottas].”

Carlos Sainz currently stands fifth in the drivers' standings with 175 points to his name.

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Edited by Anurag C
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