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Staring 18th on the grid, there was much that would have threatened an additional championship point being earned by Carlos Sainz at the Singapore Grand Prix. The Italian driver executed his race strategy brilliantly, controlling his tires, and doing some overriding to keep the 10th position; a result that will definitely serve to lift the spirits of Sainz and Ferrari whilst pondering upon their performance and preparing for the upcoming rounds.
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In a brief social media update he posted after the race, Sainz expressed how proud he felt about everyone putting in so much effort against the odds to bring in a point: “Very valuable point starting from P18 in Singapore! Given the circumstances, we have to be very happy and proud. We were longer on Mediums than anybody and then overtook certain cars on the Soft with good performances. We’ll take the learnings and prepare for the next races.”
The Spaniard acknowledged the great strategy exercise that his whole comeback drive had been. His medium tire stints were longer than that of his opponents combined before overtaking on soft tires, putting into effect car control and racecraft skills on the challenging circuit of Singapore.
The overtaking for the first time began to set off waves of praise for Sainz and his driving skills. One went: “Bravo master class by the smooth operator!” referring to the driver’s nickname earned through a repertoire of calm and calculated driving maneuvers. Another fan exclaimed, “What a drive by the Smooooth Operatorrr!”
The comments sometimes turn out to be a criticism of the kind of broadcast received. “It would have been good to see some of your overtakes, none of them were shown but well done,” said a viewer, implying that the broadcast missed vital moments of Sainz’s ascension through the ranks.
Another condemnation of how bad the coverage was gained more traction. “I think we had more shots of Sainz’s girlfriend than of him actually racing,” said one user, sparking a massive thread that rallied about the poor broadcast priorities. Another one chimed in, “Shocking wasn’t it. Even the Alonso Hamilton duel… Seems they chose to make it a really bland race.”
Despite various remarks about television coverage, there were still plenty of praises for the feat. “To get in the points after having to start at the back is a great effort,” remarked another fan-a succinct summary of the general appreciation articulated for the monumental task Sainz accomplished. Almost from the back to a championship point-a very difficult feat in Formula 1, especially in a circuit not known for overtaking.
The international nature of F1 fans could clearly be seen behind the comments; an Indonesian contributor wrote in translated English, “So cool from P18 to P10, my smooth operator,” while another just called the drive “insane” and mentioned that Sainz “went crazy those last few laps.”
Still, the comment section was not just all praise. One comment came in with a more balanced view: “But a lap down…it might be a point..but the car needs some serious looking at and fixing! Carlos you have talent but you also need the machine.” The comment also implied that this is the dilemma Ferrari has always faced in trying to give Sainz a car that can challenge at the front regularly.
In that link between Sainz and his fans, many messages were scattered with heart and fire emojis; one comment epitomized this: “YOU DID STELLAR OMG MY GOAT!!!🌶️🌶️🐐🐐,” considering that the chili pepper emoji is essentially Sainz’s signature, while GOAT is Greatest Of All Time.
Another fan summed up the collective pride following the performance: “You are really amazing. I’m so proud of you.” This kind of personal connection between driver and fan is now practically the standard for describing Sainz and his exponentially growing fan base.
Another point added to that already well-established name of Sainz as one of the most consistent performers in F1 worldwide. Extracting maximum results not only from the good but bad starting positions has become an essence of Sainz’s career. With the season far from over, both Sainz and Ferrari look to cement their hard-earned points while their development team starts focusing on the next-season challenger.
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This performance in Singapore will stand so far as a testament to Sainz and the strategic pressure his team applied in the race. In a sport where every single point counts, taking a P18 start and turning it into a championship point symbolizes the never-quit spirit of every winning campaign of Formula 1.