Credits: IMAGO / NurPhoto
Ferrari didn’t start the 2024 Italian GP as favorites to win, but thanks to a masterful drive from Charles Leclerc, the Tifosi left Monza happy. Leclerc emerged victorious, but the credit cannot be taken away from his teammate Carlos Sainz.
Autosport’s Mark Mann-Bryans revealed that Sainz shared crucial data with his engineer on the team radio, which helped Leclerc’s race. “He played a big role,” he said. “I think he gave some data that was vital to make sure they knew what they were doing with Leclerc.”
Sainz’s SF24, like Leclerc‘s, also had the pace to compete for the win. However, as the Spaniard revealed on X (formerly Twitter) after the race, pitting a few laps later in the first stint, cost him in the closing stages.
Still, he did a good job by communicating with his team and even did his best to hold McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris off. Without Sainz‘s defense, Piastri, in particular, could have overtaken Leclerc and won the race.
For Sainz, it wasn’t the ideal ending to his last-ever race in Monza for Ferrari. Nonetheless, he was happy for Leclerc and the whole team, as they basked in glory.
Sainz explains why he couldn’t match Leclerc
When Leclerc pitted, Sainz predicted that he would struggle towards the end of the race on worn-out hard tires. The Spaniard extended his medium tire stint because he thought it would help him maintain pace later on. Unfortunately, things got difficult for him, as Sainz lost time and track position.
“I think staying out and extending the first stint made me lose some race time and the train of tows at the front,” the 30-year-old said. “From there it was difficult to make up time…”
Sainz ended the Italian GP in P4, and couldn’t join Leclerc in the euphoric post-race celebrations on the podium. However, he helped Ferrari leave Monza with the biggest points haul of any team, contributing 12 to Ferrari’s overall tally of 37.
Heading into the next two races in Baku and Singapore, Sainz also feels that Ferrari has a great chance at continuing their winning run. With last year’s second-half resurgence as precedent, the Spaniard could emulate his Singapore GP masterclass as well.
