The constructors' title with Ferrari "would mean everything" for Sainz
Ahead of his final race with Ferrari, Carlos Sainz has revealed that it 'would mean everything' to him to win the Constructors' title with Formula One's most successful team.
Ferrari had been expected to struggle for pace at the Qatar Grand Prix because of the track characteristics of the Lusail International Circuit. Although the team lost valuable points in the 19-lap sprint race, Charles Leclerc picked up the pieces when Lando Norris was hit with a ten-second stop-and-go penalty in the closing stages of the race to finish the race in a brilliant second spot.
Although McLaren displayed a stronger performance than Ferrari in Qatar, the Scuderia managed to reduce the gap to 21 points in the Constructors’ Championship.
Asked to reveal how he sees the competitive order this weekend, Carlos Sainz reckoned that past races have shown that it is very difficult to predict the exact pecking order.
"I think it's honestly very tight between us, but not only between Ferrari, McLaren, but also Mercedes and Red Bull. I think we are all within a couple of tenths of each other.
"And depending on the track, depending on the tyre compound we use, depending on the track characteristics, the wind, the conditions, one car will come out on top that weekend. And last weekend looked like it was going to be the McLaren. In the end, it was Max.
"The other weekend, George, the other weekend, me in Mexico, or again, Max in the wet in Brazil. It's almost like it’s so tight across the top four teams that you cannot pick one before a weekend. And I think we're all waiting to practice to see who suddenly seems the strongest that weekend.
Pushed on what it would mean to him to leave Ferrari as Constructors' Champion, the Spaniard reckoned that it would be the best way to say goodbye.
"Would mean everything to me, honestly. It's, I think, the best way to say goodbye to my home these last four years and to the team that I've given my absolute best to for the last four years and I've enjoyed every single moment with them.
"And to say goodbye with a Constructors' title, I think, would be the perfect sign off, the perfect goodbye. I am also honest with you saying that it's still not a long shot, but it is a difficult one.
"Being 21 points behind two of the fastest drivers and one of the fastest teams and recovering those 21 points in one weekend requires perfection from our side and probably not optimal weekend or a bad weekend from their side. It's still going to be difficult, but I've seen worse things in racing happen before, and we're going to give it our best shot.
