Sainz Seeks a Golden Farewell from His 'Tifosi'

Any driver who has raced for Ferrari knows that there is one race (two in recent years) marked in red on the calendar: the Italian GP at Monza. Visiting the Cathedral of world motorsport is a special occasion for the members of the Scuderia, where they feel supported by thousands of fans who vividly illustrate what 'tifosi' means. Therefore, when drivers leave, they feel a certain nostalgia when returning with another team.

Carlos Sainz admits that this will be a special weekend for him. Although professional, he knows his limits, with a bit of luck he could be one of the main favorites for victory on Sunday. The red cars always provide an extra boost at Monza, but he will have to overcome Lando Norris, who is in his best form of the season; Max Verstappen, who needs to stop losing points to his rival; or his own teammate, Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque is possibly his biggest rival now that they no longer have any sporting respect to maintain given the few races they have left together.

In a weekend where both Sainz and Leclerc will wear special gear, the Spaniard will experience it with a sense of nostalgia. "Before coming here this weekend I tried to take a moment to look around and say: I have a Ferrari car with podium or winning chances this weekend if everything goes well, and I try to enjoy that moment, enjoy the moment with the 'tifosi'. I also feel that since last year, with the pole and podium, they value me much more, they support me even more. I feel really loved and I try to embrace that connection as much as possible," he stated. Of these years as a Ferrari driver, he cherishes one detail: his father’s tears, the legendary Carlos Sainz Cenamor, when he first saw him dressed in red overalls at Fiorano.

As for what lies ahead, and considering he might be forced to change engines (and thus face penalties), Sainz takes it relatively calmly. "If I change engines it will be revealed by the team. My realistic mind tells me we haven't been the fastest team and car since Monaco. That's being realistic, but we were strong in Zandvoort and we were strong here last year, so I'm optimistic," he highlighted.

While it will be the drivers in red who capture the fans' attention, there will certainly be many other protagonists. Undoubtedly, the battle between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen to see if the McLaren driver can continue riding his wave or if the Red Bull driver regains form will be most interesting on the legendary Italian track, which already demonstrated its difficulty on Thursday. Bernd Maylander, the safety car driver, crashed at Parabolica during the traditional test conducted by FIA officials.

This weekend sees a new driver debut on the grid. Argentine Franco Colapinto will replace Logan Sargeant until the end of the season, whose stint in Formula 1 has been forgettable at best. The young Williams academy driver, considered one of future's great talents, will bring back some Latin flair in upcoming races and may perhaps become one of Sainz's rivals in future seasons. His particular character (his last public statement before announcing his signing with Williams was a rant against Mecachrome engines used in F2) guarantees spectacle both on and off track.

Among this weekend's main protagonists won't be Fernando Alonso. Unfortunately for Aston Martin's aspirations, their green cars' performance has been quite lackluster in recent weekends. The Asturian driver already issued a warning at Zandvoort to improve quickly but also resigns himself as he knows Monza will be tough: "In theory this circuit suits us worse than Zandvoort and there we struggled to get a point, so without being too pessimistic, one or two points might be our ceiling this weekend."