Carlos Sainz was understandably delighted to take his first ever Formula 1 pole place, whereas admitting that he hadn’t anticipated to take P1 for the 2022 British Grand Prix. Team mate Charles Leclerc was filled with reward for the Spaniard, nonetheless, and stated he was focusing on a Ferrari one-two on Sunday, in no matter order which may be…
A sodden Silverstone welcomed all 20 drivers for qualifying on Saturday with FP2 chief Sainz getting the most effective of Max Verstappen in Q3, even though Verstappen had topped the earlier two qualifying segments. Part of that was right down to the truth that Verstappen was pressured to gradual for yellows triggered by a Leclerc spin – the end result leaving Sainz suitably shocked.
READ MORE: Sainz pips Verstappen to take maiden pole in wet British Grand Prix qualifying
“Obviously an emotional first pole position, it’s always special, no? Especially to do it at Silverstone in the wet, it just feels very, very good,” stated Sainz. “Towards the tip I made a decision to push for a few laps and put an honest lap on the board that didn’t really feel superb however it turned out to be pole place, so, good… Pole place, it got here as a little bit of a shock.
“I didn’t know what lap time I had to do on that lap to go pole. I was convinced that maybe it was not going to be enough. Then it turned out to be enough and I was pretty happy to hear that – but that’s what I meant by ‘the lap wasn’t perfect’… but in the end in these conditions a lot of the time, it’s about putting it together and putting a decent lap on the board; not the most optimal, perfect lap of your life.”
2022 British GP Qualifying: Carlos Sainz claims sensational maiden pole at Silverstone
Sainz will subsequently lead off the grid for the primary time in his F1 profession – and now he needs to show that right into a maiden victory.
“Leading a formation lap will really feel nice in a Ferrari, I suppose, and the primary time I’ll do it. I believe I haven’t forgot since I led a formation lap in World Series by Renault. I believe I’ve led a few races in Formula 1, I believe it was at Portimao, and it felt nice. That’s the goal, to do it once more.
“Confidence is high… I can hold on to the lead and try to do my own race, pushing from the beginning.”
Team mate Leclerc certified third and is third within the championship, 46 points behind Verstappen. He heaped reward upon Sainz – and stated it’s “most important” for the Ferraris to ship a one-two, which might be their first victory since Round 3 in Australia.
“I’m happy for Carlos; he did a great job today. I spun in that last lap, I knew it was the lap where I had to put everything together and I didn’t as a driver, so I didn’t deserve to be on pole,” stated Leclerc.
“I think, of course, I would be very happy if Carlos wins the race tomorrow, then I’m not going to hide that I want to win too. But I think what is most important is that we finish one-two whatever way round it is. And if we can play strategic moves around the cars I’m pretty sure we will. So, let’s see how it goes tomorrow, but again, I felt confident with the car so let’s wait and see.”