Sainz left satisfied with recovery after Qatar puncture as Leclerc celebrates podium finish amid constructors' battle

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LUSAIL CITY, QATAR - DECEMBER 01: Sixth placed finisher Carlos Sainz of Spain and Ferrari talks to

Carlos Sainz managed to recover to score a strong points haul for Ferrari after suffering a detrimental puncture in the Qatar Grand Prix, crucially helping to keep the team in the battle for the constructors’ title.

Sainz and his team mate Charles Leclerc were expecting to struggle significantly in Qatar as the high-speed track was not suited to their car in theory – despite this, they qualified well in P5 and P7, with the Spaniard claiming the lower spot.

READ MORE: Verstappen surges to victory ahead of Leclerc and Piastri in action-packed Qatar Grand Prix amid three Safety Cars

The race got off to a solid start for the Italian outfit as Sainz improved by one position to run in tandem with Leclerc in fifth and sixth, and both were unaffected by the Lap 1 incidents that marked the first appearance of the Safety Car.

However, Sainz’s running took a hit as he joined Lewis Hamilton in picking up a puncture, with his Ferrari sending up sparks as he crawled back to the pits – a slow stop saw him eventually return to the track in P10.

LUSAIL CITY, QATAR - DECEMBER 01: Carlos Sainz of Spain driving (55) the Ferrari SF-24 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit on December 01, 2024 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images)

Sainz was able to charge back through the field after his slow stop to claim P6

“I think we got a bit of the worst of everything,” the Spaniard said. “We had a puncture around the last corner which meant that when I arrived to Turn 1 I was already punctured. This meant that we had to do a full lap on a punctured tyre, losing loads of seconds of race time.

“Then we came in, we had a slow pit stop obviously due to the puncture. As soon as I’m coming out of the pits, a Safety Car comes out and all of our rivals take the Safety Car to box, and they don’t lose any time.

READ MORE: Russell bewildered by ‘flattering’ P4 finish in Qatar as he looks back on ‘funny’ weekend

“A very terrible kind of scenario that unravelled for me. At the same time, I started the race [P7] and finished P6 with all that happened, so it cannot be too terrible an outcome. I feel like today we were on for a top-four, top-three even, and it couldn’t happen.

“We lost a few points there for the championship that might be important at the end of the year, but at the same time we can at least bring the fight to Abu Dhabi.”

Charles Leclerc and Race winner Max Verstappen celebrate during the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit on December 01, 2024 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by James Sutton - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Leclerc secured his twelfth podium finish of the season

On the other side of the Ferrari garage, Leclerc netted a well-deserved P2 finish which he was “really happy” about as the duo eroded the points deficit to McLaren down to just 21 points with one race remaining.

The Monegasque said: “We knew it was going to be a very difficult weekend compared to McLaren, but at the end we managed to take some points away from them so the fight will be all the way to the last race in Abu Dhabi next week.

READ MORE: Verstappen delighted with Qatar GP victory as he praises team after rollercoaster weekend

“It’s a shame for Carlos because obviously as a team it would have been great to be further up with Carlos but it’s the way it goes. It’s still a positive weekend overall for the team.

“I think we are all very close so I think it’s going to be very tight, but it’s exciting. 21 points is still a lot but everything is possible and we’ll give it our all.”

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