Azerbaijan GP: Carlos Sainz positive over Sunday chances despite late qualifying disappointment

Carlos Sainz was optimistic over his chances for Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix despite a late scruffy qualifying lap that means he’ll start the race from P4.

The Spaniard had put his Ferrari on provisional pole during Q3 in Baku after the first set of runs but the all-important second set was where it got away from him.

Looking to go even quicker, a loose start to his lap meant he was four-tenths down on the quickest first sector time and he’d soon abandon it, getting on the team radio and saying that it simply ‘wasn’t his lap.’

Left to see what the rest could do, team-mate Charles Leclerc would outqualify him once again as he took pole, whilst both the Red Bull cars of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen also went faster than Sainz, meaning he lines up in fourth tomorrow afternoon.

However, he sounded positive after the session regardless, and feels as though a podium and even a race win could still be within the realms of possibility for him:

“Yes, it’s a pity but at the same time you know I think we’ve made some progress throughout the day and I was feeling in contention for pole – [considering] that after the last couple of races, especially prior to Monaco, I wasn’t.

“It’s what happens when you push to the limit; sometimes you take P1 like I took in Q3 round one and sometimes you overstep it which clearly, I did overstep it in Q3. Still, everything to play for tomorrow. Starting position here doesn’t matter that much, so we’re going to push.

“[Race pace-wise] I think it’s been neck-and-neck with the Red Bull. It’s difficult to predict right now – long runs on Friday are never long enough to tell us that, but with a good start and smart strategy and driving I think we can still be on the podium or winning tomorrow.”