F1: Carlos Sainz gives up the podium between Ferrari’s mistakes and Fernando Alonso finishes sixth

Two stops too slow in the box and a penalty for leaving the track leave the Spanish Ferrari without third place at the Red Bull Ring

There are races left, many races, 13 races, and there is talent, even a car, but Carlos Sainz he is immersed in a dark season, an unfair year. Much effort, few celebrations. At the moment, there are eight tests and no podium: his worst streak since he was a Ferrari driver. This Sunday in Austria he was closer than ever this course and he also had to give up third place to Czech Prez. He finished fourth, just four seconds behind the Mexican. It was his fault, it was partly his fault, because he exceeded the limits of the track too many times and received a penalty, but above all it was his team’s fault.

In the first laps Ferrari did not let him overtake his teammate charles leclerc and on his two visits to the garage, the mechanics took an awful long time to change his wheels and did not allow him to defend himself. Pérez, who started from fifteenth position, forced to make a comeback, caught him when there were still 13 laps to go and, although Sainz held on, and held on, and held on, the mission proved impossible. What would have happened if he had had more margin?

Perhaps he would have celebrated his first podium of the year. Maybe not. In any case, the work in the Ferrari pits did not let him discover it. He also closed the Austrian GP with third place in the sprint race and fourth in the classic race, the best baggage of the year. On certain circuits his car is the second fastest on the grid and that should serve to change his luck in the remainder of the World Championship. There are races left, many races, 13 races and there is talent, even a car.

Hamilton’s anger

All the action that surrounded him had as a contrast the tranquility between which he maneuvered Fernando Alonso. From his seventh position on the grid, he overtook his teammate Lance Stroll in the first corner and, from then on, he remained in an intermediate zone, without rivals to overtake or rivals that overtook him. I finished sixth. His interest was to get rid of lewis hamilton, pissed off with his Mercedes -in a radio discussion with his team-, and then keep him far, back. After a regular World Cup start, his year has gone up on a roller coaster that reaches the skies of Monaco or Canada and descends to the silence of Montmel or this Sunday at the Red Bull Ring.

beat max verstappen, there is practically no need to write it down. For the fifth consecutive race he dominated to excess, to a true excess. With two laps to go, with a 23-second advantage over Leclerc, second, he decided to go into the garage to put on new tires and thus get the fastest lap. His team, Red Bull, asked him not to, the risk was too great, but he hardly cared. Despite putting his victory at risk, he went through the pits, flew over the track and received a thunderous ovation from his audience – the Orange Army is the majority here. The third title is already his and now he is going for all possible records, victories, points, pole positions, whatever.