Carlos Sainz is gearing up for a final push at glory with Ferrari in Sunday’s Abu Dhabi, a race that will bring an end to his four-year tenue with the Scuderia and which he admits will likely be his last chance of winning in F1 “for a few years”.
Sainz showcased his grit and determination in Saturday’s qualifying session, delivering a strong performance to claim third on the grid.
While McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked out the front row with their dominant MCL38 cars, Sainz was team papaya’s closest challenger, topping the timesheets in Q1 and Q2.
“I felt like I did some very good, very clean laps in Q1 and Q2,” commented the Spaniard after the session, quoted by Motorsport Week.
“Probably finding the limit of the car very early on in qualifying and then giving myself and giving maybe the team a bit of hope that we could fight for pole position.
“But I think as soon as these two guys started putting, I think, a good lap together in Q3… I think my lap was pretty good.
“Obviously, there’s always little things here and there that you would like to change.
“But when Lando talks about that he didn’t quite nail Turn 9 or he did a small mistake, then you realise that it’s the same for everyone.
“We’ve been a weekend three to four-tenths behind. I’ll take being two-tenths off in quali and hopefully we can match their race pace and get in the fight tomorrow.”
While Sainz finds himself well-positioned to fight at the front, Ferrari faces a massive uphill struggle to overturn a 21-point gap to McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship.
Charles Leclerc’s disastrous qualifying session has left him starting from the back of the grid as the result of a track limits violation and a an engine grid penalty, compounding Ferrari’s woes.
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“I think it was already extremely difficult,” Sainz admitted. “It was, like I said, a bit of a mission impossible already before the weekend started.
“Then we arrived to FP1 and Charles’ battery died before running and the grid penalty obviously was a huge shock, a huge blow.
“On top of that, you get the Q2 situation for Charles. It just makes things obviously a lot more difficult.
“But at the same time, it is very likely that even in a perfect weekend where we both nail laps in Q3 and we even fight for the win, these two guys are still up there.
“So it was always going to be difficult. It’s just made our life even more difficult.
“But until the chequered flag comes down tomorrow, you know, anything can happen. And I’m going to keep fighting for whatever comes.
“I’m sure Charles from the back will push flat out to get every single point available and see what happens with the McLarens.”
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For Sainz, the stakes are deeply personal. Sunday’s race is not only about helping Ferrari keep their Constructors’ hopes alive but also about leaving the Scuderia with no regrets.
With Williams unlikely to offer him the tools to contend at the sharp end in the near future, Sainz knows this may be his last realistic shot at etching his name into Ferrari’s legacy.
“I wouldn’t sign up for a P3 because I know we’re capable of more, and I also have a bit less to lose tomorrow,” Sainz said when asked if he would settle for a podium finish.
“We know we need to do more than what we did today, and we’re going to go for it tomorrow, because, one, we need it for the Constructors’.
“If we want to have a shot at winning, we need to win tomorrow and one of the McLarens to have an issue and Charles to get back in the points.
“And two, I also want to win. This might be my last chance at winning in a few years and my last chance of being on a podium for a few years.
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“I want to make sure I leave the weekend with no regrets and with never feeling that I could have, yeah, not given myself that chance.
“So, yeah, I feel like I’ve put myself in a good position for tomorrow. But yeah, tomorrow we go again.”
As the lights go out at Yas Marina, Sainz will carry the hopes of Ferrari fans and his own aspirations into the race.
While McLaren’s formidable pace poses a significant challenge, the Spaniard’s resilience and determination are unshaken.
For Sainz, this race is not just about points or pride – it’s about seizing a fleeting moment of opportunity before it slips away.
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