Sainz disappointed, but not surprised by shock Q2 exit

Carlos Sainz will start the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday outside the top 10 after a shocking Q2 exit.

The Spaniard struggled throughout the entire session, much to the surprise of the Tifosi as he showed real promise in Friday’s only practice session, finishing P2 behind Max Verstappen.

“I had a very difficult quali, right from the beginning,” said Sainz. “Just struggling with the balance. The rear was very, very loose, while in FP1, I managed to switch on the tires and get decent grip on this new surface.”

🇶🇦Carlos thoughts after qualy:

“A difficult qualy, right from the begging and struggling with the balance. In FP1 we tried to switch on the tires, to tried [to get used to] this surface, and I just couldn’t find ant quip out there so I’m not surprised to be out in Q3” pic.twitter.com/NbEyveBBOe

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“When the track temperature dropped this afternoon, I just couldn’t find any grip out there, so I just struggled quite heavily, so I’m not surprised to be out in Q2.”

The sister Ferrari of Charles Leclerc also complained of low grip and lack of balance, despite putting the car in fifth.

The Italian will be keen to solve their issues as quickly as possible in a weekend where there is a possibility of scoring 59 points in total, including the Sprint. And with them being involved in heated battle with Mercedes for 2nd in the Constructors every point counts.