Carlos Sainz aims for a flawless start, knowing a strong getaway could be key to winning the Mexican Grand Prix.
On pole for the Mexican Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz knows he has a lot at stake at the start, with Max Verstappen alongside him and Lando Norris right behind. However, the Spaniard is determined to hold his position up to the first corner, aiming to negotiate it in the lead to boost his chances of victory.
“I am relatively confident because I know my race pace should be good,” Sainz stated. “The biggest challenge will likely be up to Turn 1, starting from pole with the strong slipstream. But I believe it’s always possible to defend until Turn 1 when starting from pole, and that will be my aim.”
“I just need to make sure I get a good 0 to 100, which is the most important thing when you’re on pole—ensuring a strong start. From there, I obviously have to do my best to defend.”
“I have two guys behind me fighting for quite important things, and the run to Turn 1 should be interesting. I obviously have less to lose in that sense, and I’ll make sure to hold onto first place.”
“I’m just going to do everything I can to stay in the lead, because in Mexico, it’s crucial for cooling the car, managing the tyres, and everything else. So, I will do all I can.”
“As I say, I’m focused on the 0 to 100 and on the getaway. Everything else follows… It also depends on the quality of my rivals’ starts and all the instinctive decisions we all make off the line. I trust my instincts, and I intend to come out of that corner in the lead.”
Verstappen “not expecting any miracles”
When questioned on the matter, Max Verstappen acknowledges that his performance will largely depend on how his rivals get off the line. However, the Red Bull driver remains focused solely on his own start, looking to see what he can achieve by the first corner.
“Everything depends on your start and what happens in front of you. I mean, I’ve been in many starting positions here. And yes, it’s a long run down. Anything can happen, but I’m not thinking about it too much,” the Dutchman assures.
The remainder of the race looks more challenging for him, as he was unable to prepare during FP1 and FP2 due to engine issues: “I barely did any laps, so I think it can only get better. We’re on the back foot. So far, the weekend has been pretty terrible in that regard.”
“But being on the front row despite the difficulties we faced shows that we stayed calm and tried to analyse the data to understand the car a bit better and aim to be a bit more competitive.”
“That said, I’m not expecting any miracles. I think in Austin, Ferrari was really quick. McLaren might not have been as strong, but in the race, they were still competitive. So, from my side, I don’t really know. I think we’ll only find out during the race.”
Having had to revert to an older engine, the three-time world champion admits that another penalty could be on the horizon before the season ends: “I think there will be another penalty, yes. It depends; we’ll have to see how long this situation can last.”
Norris knows Sainz “has nothing to lose”
Lando Norris, meanwhile, is hopeful for a resurgence from McLaren F1—not because the MCL38 has struggled, but rather in the face of formidable competition from Ferrari: “It’s always difficult to gauge race pace. In recent weekends, they’ve been extremely fast and quicker than us.”
“So, I don’t have the confidence to say that we can beat them in terms of pace. During qualifying, we haven’t been on their level. But the race is a different day. You know, if we can get a good start, I hope it’ll be an exciting run to the first corner.”
“Yes, Carlos is going to be quick. As he said, he has nothing to lose. And they’ve been the fastest in recent weekends. We’ll do our best, but I don’t think we currently have the same pace as them.”
Norris acknowledges that the new floor has been a positive development, though it isn’t a fix for all of McLaren’s challenges: “It delivers exactly what the team expected. So, it’s a help. If it was a two or three-tenths improvement, I think we’d be comfortably in pole position.”
“But we’re talking about very small gains. And it’s far less than what people might think from the outside. When we talk about improvements, you usually think of one, two, or three-tenths. And it’s not even that.”
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Can Sainz’s Start Hold Off Rivals in Mexico Showdown? Can Sainz’s Start Hold Off Rivals in Mexico Showdown?. f1 2024 Can Sainz’s Start Hold Off Rivals in Mexico Showdown?
