Sainz says 'big mistakes' weighed on qualifying performance

©Ferrari

Carlos Sainz says he "over-pushed" in Friday's Sprint qualifying at Interlagos, which led "to a couple of big mistakes" that left him fifth at the end of the tricky session.

Ferrari had opted to split its tyre strategy at the start of Q3, sending Sainz out on the softs while teammate Charles Leclerc's car was fitted with intermediates.

The latter choice proved a disaster for the Monegasque as the rain that the Scuderia expected at the outset of Q3 failed to materialize. But while Sainz was on the right tyre – like shock poleman Kevin Magnussen, circumstances led to the Spaniard forcing the issue.

Read also: Leclerc 'disappointed' with botched Ferrari tyre gamble in Q3

"A tough day for the team in a tricky qualifying," said Sainz. "We had one shot in Q3 with the softs before the rain arrived.

"We tried to be up in the queue first but we lost quite a bit of time behind Charles and we lost a lot of time to Kevin.

"This meant that he had probably a drier track than us at that point.

"I tried to push a lot and probably over-pushed, did a couple of big mistakes, big moments that probably cost me P2 or P3.

"But P1 today for Kevin I think he deserves it, I’m a big fan of him and I’m happy for him.”

"Today we survived the very tricky conditions and we need to review a couple of things as a team, but we will try to be better next time."

Ferrari's decision to hand Sainz a new ICE has resulted in a five-place grid penalty for the Spaniard for Sunday's race. And that’s an incentive for Saturday's Sprint event.

"Carlos will be trying to finish as high up as possible to counteract the five place grid penalty which he has on Sunday, while Charles will be aiming to secure a place in the front three rows of the grid for the Grand Prix," commented Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies.

"We weren’t the only team to have had mixed fortunes in qualifying, with one car towards the front and another further back.

"It’s just the start of a long weekend and we will try and get the most out of tomorrow’s Sprint in which our drivers will have similar goals."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.