Top pundit insists 'strongest Sainz EVER' has emerged

carlos sainz, singapore grand prix — Photo: © LAT Images

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Top pundit insists 'strongest Sainz EVER' has emerged

The Spaniard has been on top form recently

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 19 September 2023 22:57

Antonio Lobato has said that we are currently seeing 'the strongest Carlos Sainz ever' after the Ferrari driver produced a stunning drive to take victory at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The Spaniard became the first non-Red Bull driver to win a race in 2023, holding off the challenge of Lando Norris, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc to win in hot and sticky conditions.

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He has received great praise for the ingenius tactics deployed at the end of the race, when he purposely gave Norris behind him DRS so that he could defend from the two supremely quick Mercedes drivers in third and fourth, who were on fresh tyres.

Now, Lobato has said that Sainz deserves all of the plaudits for his recent performances that have seen him build a 19 point lead to his team-mate in the championship standings.

"Carlos embraced the risk," he said on Spanish TV after the race.

"What he has done keeping Lando under one second to keep giving him the DRS so that he could defend from the Mercedes cars, that includes being confident that you could handle the pressure if Norris pushes.

"He was very smart, he was perfect from beginning to end. I think we are witnessing the strongest Carlos Sainz ever."

Supreme Sainz

Ferrari were on the top step of the podium for the first time since the 2022 Austrian GP

In the space of the last two races, Sainz has turned a disappointing season for Ferrari into something to build on going into 2024.

They have regressed based on where they were in 2022, but Sainz has now claimed two pole positions in a row and achieved a third place finish at Monza, as well as this much-needed victory.

They are now only 24 points behind Mercedes in the race for second position in the constructors' championship.

To be seen as 'the best of the rest' in a season that has been so massively dominated by Red Bull would be no mean feat for the Maranello-based team.