Sainz pays tribute to McLaren despite "worst possible result" for Ferrari

Carlos Sainz has paid tribute to his hard-working former McLaren team after it took a one-two at the Italian Grand Prix, albeit a result he has labelled as the "worst possible" for Ferrari.

Sainz spent two seasons at McLaren in 2019 and 2020 before replacing Sebastian Vettel at the Scuderia at the start of the season.

The two teams are locked in a close battle for third in the constructors' standings but after Sunday's result, Ferrari has now lost ground on its rivals by 13.5 points.

Sainz finished a narrow second to Pierre Gasly driving for McLaren at the same race last season.

Asked how it felt seeing Daniel Ricciardo win the race in what was his car with his former engineers and mechanics, the Spanish driver was split.

"I was actually thinking about it," said Sainz. "They had a very impressive pace they showed all weekend.

"Right from the getaway, we could see they were going to be in the fight for the podium.

"They had even more pace than last year. Last year we had a good pace but not as good as what they had this year.

"A combination of great starts and great pace, I think they managed to put together a solid weekend and for that I congratulate them.

"I have a lot of appreciation and in some way, I will be happy for my ex-engineers and the people that work there."

Ferrari aim for payback on McLaren in Russia

Noting the work that has been put into McLaren's rise from the pain of the Honda era in the mid-2010s, Sainz added: "They have been working very hard.

"They have gone through some very hard moments in the team and it is nice to see a historic team like McLaren winning again.

"But unfortunately, they are in a fight for us in the championship and it is the worst possible result we could have had for P3 in the championship.

"We are still within reach, they have used their chances. Congratulations to them and we will try and get them back in Russia."

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