Was Sainz pulled ahead in Singapore? 'Did the best for both cars'

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Sainz on whether he was preferred to Leclerc in Singapore
18 September 2023 at 09:37
Last update 18 September 2023 at 12:32

Carlos Sainz will undoubtedly look back on his best weekend of 2023. Not only is he the winner of the Singapore Grand Prix, but he is also the first to beat Red Bull Racing this season. After the race, Sainz was asked if he was favoured over teammate Charles Leclerc during the race.

Was Sainz preferred to Leclerc?

"I honestly don't think the team bet on me. I think we were trying to do the best possible race for both cars, and that was coming by obviously Charles keeping a bit of a gap and a bit of breath, in case there was a safety car, and that is exactly what happened," the Spaniard explained.

Sainz held on to the lead. He also felt he had the speed all weekend: "I just had a lot of pace, and I was feeling at one with the car, and I had everything under control. Those last five laps before the safety car, I managed to extract a lot of pace out of those medium tyres. I don't know. I just felt comfortable. I felt everything under control, and, of course, when you are the lead car, it’s always going to be easier."