Carlos Sainz takes second consecutive pole position and aims for victory in Singapore

in Italy they asked Carlos Sainz was a “murderer”. They saw him as a tireless worker and a great team man, but he had the aura of Charles Leclerc, a driver trained in Ferrari’s academy and whom they had always seen as a future champion. There was no. Carlos didn’t notice that at all. He just focused on improving. The Madrid man, like the Ferrari player during difficult times, received a lot of criticism in an environment of maximum pressure. On days like today, we have to remember that. That’s where Carlos Sainz comes from. From there, he not only managed to survive, but as the greatest of all survivors, he was able to take a huge step forward to prove all his critics wrong. It’s done. At Monza, his pole win, his ambitions against Verstappen, and his final podium ahead of Leclerc earned him the title of “Tifosi” and made all of Italy look at him with different eyes. The same thing happened in the previous battle at Zandvoort, where Charles was missing. But that wasn’t all. He also took pole position in Singapore.

Sainz was restless and clearly showed his determination on the Asian route. It was not a one-day flower. No inspiration either. It was a confirmation of change and a declaration of ambition from a driver who, after many battles with the flow, wants to fight for everything in Singapore and achieve Ferrari’s first win of the year. With that in mind, he always gave it his all, even on the difficult Marina Bay track, and took advantage of the amazing performance of the great Ferrari in Singapore to secure his second consecutive pole position, the fifth of his racing career. did. He did it by winning both laps in Q3 in a great battle.

On his first attempt he beat Leclerc by two tenths, Norris by three tenths and Russell by six tenths. And in the final turn, he marked his first sector in purple, and the second sector was a little worse and he could have missed out on pole position, but he nailed it in the third sector and got back on track. , won first place against Russell and Charles. It was tremendous.

Carlos Sainz knew he had a big opportunity ahead of him. In other circuits, red bull It was much better, but it was almighty on this track Verstappen And his RB19 was struggling. Pole position was within reach, but not only that, but it’s also very difficult to overtake in the race, so the chances of winning are increasing this weekend. Carlos He aimed for pole position and had to wait for his rivals to fail. Max was expected to be close behind, but ended up starting 11th (he was given a grid position penalty for three actions: obstructing two cars and stopping at the pit lane exit). ). One from Perez in 13th place.

The two cars that have won everything this year (Verstappen with 12 wins and Perez with 2) are very far apart on a track that is difficult to overtake. This is the best chance of the year for the chasing drivers, and it’s the chance everyone was hoping for. And Carlos, who started in first place, bought more tickets than his opponents in order to aim for his first win against a team other than Red Bull in the 15th race of the year.

Of course, in the case of Ferrari, where tire deterioration is so severe, this feat doesn’t seem to be easy to accomplish on a track that puts stress on the wheels, which is cause for concern and doubt. However, in Singapore, overtaking requires a large speed difference from the car in front. And Sainz will defend himself if necessary. The battle could be exciting. This battle is no longer about fighting for the podium. It’s for victory. Second place Russell knows that. Also in 3rd place is Leclerc. And 4th place Norris. flat Hamilton will start fifth and have big dreams.

At Marina Bay, Poleman won eight of the 13 races held. Sainz That’s what I’m aiming for. The battle will be fierce, but everyone knows that this Carlos is different. Then someone in Italy said: monza A person who has a “career as a top driver.” Sainz wants to show this Sunday that he is truly one of the greats.

Alonso, 7th place

Fernando Alonso finished 7th, 0.631 seconds off his best time., passed by the surprising Haas of Kevin Magnussen in sixth place. Riding a car that saw teammate Lance Stroll start 20th due to an accident in Q1, the Asturian not only achieved his goal of making it to Q3 by a close margin, but also fought to the end in the top class. Ta.

The Oviedo native set his first time in Q2 and surprisingly set his personal best time. There was a question of whether he would be able to hold the bar, but in the end it didn’t make it to his final battle for the pole. The following was announced the day before. “Ferrari is not within our reach”. And they weren’t. Aston Martin should have benefited more from this circuit, but after one lap that wasn’t the case. Alonso will start seventh, aiming for a complicated comeback. His race pace on Saturday was promising and one of the best. But in Singapore it will be difficult to overtake and it will be difficult to use its weapons.

You can do that by looking for surprises in your strategy or by taking advantage of everything that can happen on the track, which usually has several “safety car” starts each race. Alonso wants to go fishing. He is not satisfied with seventh place.