Carlos Sainz admits the final stages of his Ferrari career were very emotional as he took victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix in front of his family.
Ferrari’s strong form at COTA continued with a pole position and a win in Mexico last weekend, but they were briefly beaten by Max Verstappen at the start. After passing Red Bull again with an impressive late move at Turn 1, Sainz beat Lando Norris to take the win and said it was a special result.
“I felt this weekend would be a very good opportunity to win that race,” Sainz said. “I felt great going into the weekend. They were also clearly very determined to win. I knew we would have a chance to win, and I was focused on that all weekend.
“Plus I knew my family was coming, my best friend, my girlfriend and so many people were here to support me. I said fate might have something in store for me this weekend. My last win with Ferrari said that with all the support I’ve had from Ferrari all year, I can come in front of them on a great podium in a great place like Mexico City. I have been driving well so far and have done well and you can’t imagine how happy and proud I am now.
“It was very emotional. I shed tears [during] Spanish national anthem. It’s definitely one of the best moments of my career. My mom has never been there to win a race with me, and the fact that she was here this weekend made me really want to win a race in front of her.
“Plus, the whole weekend was perfect and just as planned. With that move… everything got a little trickier because you had to first defeat him and then fight Max. I think it tastes better because it was made with a lot of effort. “It was amazing to perform in front of all of them this weekend.”
Verstappen’s move pushed Sainz past the Red Bull from a distance into the first corner, but he said he was ready to face the battle early on despite starting from pole position.
“I didn’t get off to a good start, but at the same time I think Max tends to get off to a very good start,” he said. “We have a very low grip track here and whenever the grip is low the Red Bull tends to start really well so I was somewhat prepared for the scenario that Max would go with me into turn one. I applied the brakes late. I could brake and he braked as late as me, so I had no room to get into turn two.
“From then on I kept my head and knew that if I had even half a chance to take the lead back, I would try to do so. With Max, you have to be determined and determined. Otherwise, you’ll never get past him. If so, I think I was able to catch him by startling him a little.
“Tensions were very high at that point. That’s because a fight started in the back where I almost got involved in what I heard. It was an exciting moment in the race.”
