Carlos Sainz Jr enjoyed his qualifying performance on Saturday around the streets of Monte Carlo, and will start Sunday’s race in the principality from sixth on the grid.
The Scuderia Toro Rosso driver was delighted to continue the strong form shown by his team during practice into qualifying, even if the midfield pack were closer than they had been earlier in the weekend, meaning he was forced to push harder earlier than he had hoped.
“Wow. Just WOW! I feel so good, what a lap!” said Sainz. “This is definitely the most enjoyable lap in qualifying of the whole season – the one where you’re on the limit the most, the one that gives you the biggest adrenaline rush, the highest heart beat…
“And to qualify P6 at such a track is just an amazing result! It’s something that we absolutely deserve after a very complete weekend, building it up until this afternoon’s qualifying.
“I must say that in Q1 I was a bit surprised with the pace of the midfield, as they all suddenly caught us up and we therefore had to start putting in fast laps from the very start – something I don’t like to do here in Monaco, I prefer to build it up little by little.
“Then in Q3, I was able to put the best lap of the weekend together and I’m a very happy man! I can still feel the adrenaline!”
Sainz is confident Sunday’s race can also be a positive one for Toro Rosso, with the long run pace appearing to be strong during practice. He is aiming to make a good start and stay ahead of the rest of the midfield runners to ensure the best result possible.
“Regarding tomorrow, I’m confident we can have a good race,” said Sainz. “We are fast in both long and short runs so we just need to make sure we get everything right at the start, lead the midfield and try and attack when possible!”
