Anthony Davidson now believes 29-year-old F1 star is the best defensive driver on the grid

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Anthony Davidson has said that Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr. is now the best defensive driver on the grid.

Davidson was speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast after a fantastic Singapore Grand Prix.

Carlos Sainz had the perfect weekend at the Marina Bay circuit as he finally broke Red Bull’s grasp on the top spot on the podium.

He drove fantastically on Saturday to put his car on pole before holding off challenges from Lando Norris, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

Even his teammate Charles Leclerc couldn’t match his pace in the opening stint of the race.

However, it was how he drove the final laps of the race that really stood out.

Both Mercedes dived into the pits under a virtual safety car when Esteban Ocon stopped on track.

They advanced on the Spaniard quickly, making light work of overtaking Leclerc.

However, Anthony Davidson believes the way Sainz drove his Ferrari in order to win the race was spectacular.

He kept Lando Norris close enough to have DRS, meaning George Russell couldn’t gain enough speed to dive past him.

In the end, it forced a mistake from the Brit that saw Lewis Hamilton take the final spot on the podium.

Davidson hails Ferrari star Sainz

Speaking about how he drove the car, Davidson said: “Carlos [Sainz] has definitely proven in the last two Grand Prix that his defensive skills, I think they’re the best out there. I really do.

“He’s so wise in where he places the car, he can understand what’s going behind him so well.

“You know, he kept his teammate at bay in Monza, he fought incredibly hard with Max [Verstappen], and that’s no mean feat to try and keep him behind you.

“And he’s willing to try and take a good amount of risks as well. I mean, it’s a calculated risk with Carlos, he’s a very classy driver and he can still work on a little bit of that speed on higher-speed, faster-flowing circuits.

“Street circuits are very different, you often see different drivers coming to the fore for whatever reason.

“I think Carlos is one of those drivers that for whatever reason can get a bit more out of it than some.

“Yes, Monza was a great weekend for him, Singapore has obviously been fantastic for him as well, but I want to see that level of performance roll on to Suzuka.”

Ferrari fans will echo Davidson’s comments on Sainz and hope this rich vein of recent form will help him challenge the Red Bulls and Mercedes more closely next season.

In order to do that he’s going to need a faster car, but consistency is key at the front of the grid.

It’s one of the reasons why Max Verstappen has managed to open up such a large gap over Sergio Perez and why Lewis Hamilton has won seven World Championships.