‘Chilli’ on135 pole after keeping a cool head
FERRARI’S Carlos Sainz defied expectations to take his first pole position at the 150th attempt in a sometimes chaotic qualifying session during a Silverstone downpour yesterday.
Sainz kept his nerve as several rivals including world champion Max Verstappen spun on the wet track and joked afterwards: ‘Spaniards normally struggle in the rain.’
The 27-year-old has never won a grand prix but will fancy his chances today after finishing 0.72seconds ahead of Verstappen with team-mate Charles Leclerc third and home favourite Lewis Hamilton down in fifth.
Sainz is nicknamed Chilli because of his thrilling driving style and after finishing second to Verstappen in the last grand prix in Canada, he could be the new cult hero Ferrari is looking for.
Hamilton has won seven of the last eight British Grand Prix races but Ferrari was the team that stopped a clean sweep in 2018 when Sebastien Vettel drove to victory.
With the heavens opening just as qualifying started at 3pm, Sainz bided his time as fellow competitors Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Verstappen all veered off course, Verstappen spinning 360 degrees at the sharp right-hander at Stowe corner.
On his final run in Q3 with the sideways rain finally slowing, Sainz shrewdly took a more aggressive approach and clocked 1m 40.983 seconds, gaining appreciative applause from the vast crowd who were delighted to see Verstappen lose top spot.
‘I want to thank them for cheering and for staying out to watch though I guess you guys in Britain are more used to the rain than us,’ he smiled. ‘It was tricky for the drivers because there was a lot of standing water on the racing line and it would have been easy to lose the lap.
‘I’m very happy particularly given the wet conditions which made it tough. I kept it cool and decided to push at the end.
‘It wasn’t an amazing lap but every time you went out it was a new adventure. You just had to put a competitive time on the board rather than try to do the perfect lap.
‘Confidence is high for the race. The pace was there and I felt at home with car. I will try to push from the beginning and hold onto the lead.’
With the rivalry between Verstappen and Hamilton gripping the racing world, the addition of Formula One’s most esteemed brand name Ferrari into the mix adds even further interest for 140,000 fans flocking to Silverstone today.
Sainz and team-mate Leclerc are fifth and third respectively in the drivers’ standings albeit a distance behind Verstappen who has won six of nine races this year.
Silverstone is expected to be dry for the main event, which will be a relief to drivers who complained about slippery conditions and losing tyre grip in qualifying.
Former world champion Vettel was one of the slowest five drivers eliminated after Q1 and immediately reacted by telling his team over the radio: ‘No, not again.’