Carlos Sainz Jr. says the 2016 United States Grand Prix will be a weekend he will “always remember” after a feisty drive to sixth place.
The Spaniard started from 10th place after a strong qualifying performance and made up several places on the opening lap.
Sainz put Toro Rosso’s two-stop strategy – with a stint on the super-softs being followed by two stints on the soft compound – to good use and found himself in fifth with a few laps to go.
He eventually lost a place to Fernando Alonso on the penultimate lap, but was delighted with sixth – his best result since scoring the same result at the Spanish GP.
“The result is a very special one for myself and the team, it’s a top, top, top result,” he said. “What a boost and what a way to motivate the team and keep our heads up until the end of the season.
“I don’t know what this track has, but I just get such a good feeling every time I race here. It’s a weekend I will always remember.
“To equal my best result in Formula 1 makes me very happy, but this P6 is a bit more special than the one in Barcelona because here we didn’t think we really had the car to do so – our simulations before the race said we would only finish in P11 or P12 and here we were, fighting for a P5.
“We were able to make the tyres last during the first stint, staying close to the Williams and then managed to create a good gap to Fernando on the softs. We also got a bit lucky with the VSC period, which was great news for us, as we were suddenly in front of the Williams.
“We knew it was going to be very difficult to get to the end on the soft tyre, but we committed to that and went to the end on that set – during the last two laps I had no tyre left and just had to hold on to it as best I could.
“The battle with Fernando was so much fun. I knew that he would end up getting past me but I said to myself, ‘let’s make it a bit complicated for him’.
“I’m so pleased, so happy, you just can’t imagine what’s going on inside me now, even if I’m not showing it on the outside, I’m delighted. I will definitely celebrate with champagne, for me this feels like a win.”
