Manipulating the DRS train to win the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz was asked by Williams to play the game again in Saudi Arabia to help Alex Albon.

This time, though, Sainz admits he was a “bit nervous” and felt “exposed”, but it proved to be successful as Williams bagged a double points haul.

Carlos Sainz plays DRS game in double Williams point haul

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Sainz clinched the second Grand Prix win of his F1 career in 2023 when the Spaniard deliberately gave Norris DRS at the Marina Bay circuit so that the McLaren driver could keep the chasing George Russell and Lewis Hamilton at bay.

It was a strategy gamble as having DRS meant Norris could have attacked but Sainz had his measure and later admitted: “It’s a lot more difficult to execute because it does put you under some extra pressure and it comes with its risks.”

Holding off Norris, Sainz became the only non-Red Bull driver that season to win a Grand Prix. And it was a victory that earned him widespread praise for his clinical thinking, risk-taking, and ability to pull it off.

Sainz was called upon to repeat his DRS mastery at Sunday’s Saudi Arabia.

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However, this time it wasn’t for a win, it wasn’t even for himself or his idea. It was Williams’ call, and it was in aid of his team-mate Albon.

Heading into the final quarter of the 50-lap Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Sainz was running in eighth place ahead of Albon, with the Thai-British racer being chased by Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar.

Sainz was asked to keep Albon within DRS, less than a second behind him, to give him protection in his battle with Hadjar, as without DRS, he would’ve been easy prey. And Hadjar could’ve then potentially also challenged the Spaniard.

Sainz admits it was a nerve-racking final stint.

“I think it was 12, 13 laps to go,” he told the media, including PlanetF1.com, “the team asked me to give the DRS to Alex to make sure Hajar didn’t have a chance at passing us.

“Bit of a tricky one, because you always feel like it exposes you also in especially in a high-speed track where the DRS has a very big effect around here.

“You always get a bit nervous about it, because from there on, you cannot put a foot wrong if you do a mistake or hit a wall or whatever. But in the end, it worked.

“And yeah, I could show my best pace in the last lap, I pushed and I had a lot of pace, which is a really good sign. So, yeah, very, very happy, honestly, very solid weekend.”

Told he was the one who invented the DRS defensive tactic Sainz replied with a laugh: “I know!

“This is not the same when it comes from your idea, because you’re 100 per cent sure, compared to when it comes from the team, which is… you always struggle a bit more to commit to it, because it doesn’t come natural for you.

“But, yeah, I think we did the right call in the end. It ensured the eighth and ninth position for the team, and we could bring home this incredible result for the team.”

Scoring six points in Saudi Arabia, Williams leapfrogged Haas for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship where they have 25 points to the American team’s 20.

“Honestly, solid race,” Sainz added. “Good tyre management on the medium, managing to dominate the first part of the race. Then we had to go through a lot of well, we had a bit of a slow pit stop that cost me three or four seconds, but we managed to keep it cool, to keep it under control, and yeah, from there on, just managing the hard tyre to the end, going through some slower cars.”

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