Carlos Sainz admits that he has a sense of relief after taking his first Formula 1 victory at the British Grand Prix on Sunday.
Sainz started the race from pole position, but appeared to lack pace throughout the event compared to team-mate Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
The Spaniard was running in second place as the race approached its final stages, before a Safety Car intervention saw him pit for fresh Soft tyres.
He then utilised the extra grip to pass Leclerc for the lead, before going on to take the chequered flag.
“I think a first win is always a bit of a relief, I’m not going to lie,” Sainz said.
“The same way that the pole position didn’t feel like it [on Saturday], today, the win does feel a bit of a relief, because there you have it, you have a win in Formula 1.
“And for sure, I’m going to keep fighting for more, you know, I’m going to keep improving myself with this car, and I’m going to try and make it happen.”
Sainz has endured a difficult 2022 campaign thus far, having been involved in a series of incidents in the early part of the season.
Despite his struggles, Sainz says that he always believed that he was going to achieve a race win in the sport.
“I never stopped believing that this win was going to come,” he said. “Even if this year has been tough for me and it hasn’t been the easiest.
“I mean in Monaco, I could have won. I mean in Canada it was super close. And it was about time that something just happened in a race that you can win, or one race that I can win on pure pace or merit, like Canada.
“So keep believing. If there’s something this sport has taught me is that keep believing.
“Things have never come easy to me in my career but this is a great example that it still happens.”
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