Sky Sports F1 pundit touts secret to Carlos Sainz’s ‘great’ form at Singapore GP

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Sky Sports F1 pundit Danica Patrick has now suggested the secret behind Carlos Sainz hitting ‘great’ form after the Ferrari star set the quickest FP2 time at the Singapore GP.

Sainz outpaced Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, to end Friday as the fastest driver around the modified Marina Bay Street Circuit. The 29-year-old lapped the shortened 4.94km layout in a 1:32.120 to set the benchmark. No driver proved able to eclipse the Spaniard’s lap time.

Just 0.018 seconds split the Ferrari pair, though. Leclerc pushed Sainz for the top spot with a 1:32.138 after posting faster times through the first two sectors. The 25-year-old lost time at the end of his flying run on the soft tyres after having a snap going through Turns 18 and 19.

Carlos Sainz tops FP2 at the Singapore GP after taking Italian GP pole

The small moment proved enough to swing the tide in Sainz’s favour as the Spaniard’s form continues to improve. He arrived in Singapore fresh off of taking a home podium for Ferrari at the Italian GP. Sainz also took pole position at Monza ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Small margins had also split Sainz and his nearest competitor in qualifying for the Italian GP. Verstappen only missed out on pole by 0.013 seconds, while Leclerc finished third a further 0.054 seconds back. The tiny differences meant Sainz took only his fourth pole in Formula 1.

It has not been a great year for Sainz, who held off Leclerc to finish third at the Italian GP. He overtook the Monegasque for fifth in the driver’s championship with the podium at Monza. Sainz now has 117 points to Leclerc’s 111 following his only rostrum of the campaign so far.

Leclerc had already taken podium finishes in the Azerbaijan and Belgian Grand Prix with two third-place finishes and second in Austria. But three retirements blight his Sunday record for 2023. Sainz has failed to finish just once this year after contact with Oscar Piastri in Belgium.

Danica Patrick suggests the secret behind the Ferrari driver’s form

Former IndyCar and Nascar driver, Patrick, believes the secret behind Sainz’s improved form is the rhythm the Ferrari star has found. She feels the Spaniard is able to extract more out of his machinery when the Madrid native is calm in his environment and can focus on the job.

“Yeah, [he is] very consistent right now,” Patrick said on Sky Sports F1 (15/09, 15:05). “That just happens in a season. There’s ebbs and flows to when you’re in a rhythm and when you’re out of it.

“The season is wearing on – many, many rounds of the season. So, he’s obviously just found a nice rhythm at this point in time. And, maybe something great comes out when he gets a little bit more relaxed.”