Sebastian Vettel's first stop allowed Carlos Sainz to roll, even for a minute, in third place of the Japanese GP. During that initial stretch, squeezing the life of their soft tires to the limit, the Spaniard was able to make McLaren dream about that podium that resists so much. A little later he could even contain the rhythm of Charles Leclerc.

"We've got him to give up," Sainz said about those laps ahead of the Ferrari driver. "When trying to catch us he had to stop to ride the soft ones and look for the fast lap," he continued in the Movistar F1 microphones.

In those crucial moments, the Madrid could roll with a formidable cadence of 1:33 per lap. Leclerc looked without resources to cut six seconds apart. "Even I was a little surprised," he stressed about the cruising performance of the MCL-34, with which he also endured near Alexander Albon's Red Bull.

About to touch Hamilton

"It is something we had not achieved so far, so this grand prize is a little more special," said Carlos, sixth in the World Cup table, ahead of Pierre Gasly. More complicated will be to maintain 12 points of advantage over Albon in Mexico, Austin, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

Whatever happens until the end of the course, Sainz's solidity in the middle of the table is more than contrasted. "Today we were going very fast. Throughout the weekend the car has gone very well and I felt super comfortable," confirmed the former Renault driver, with ideas always neatly arranged under the helmet.

Even at that delicate moment of the first corner, when he almost touched Lewis Hamilton. "I have not noticed contact with anyone. The car was safe and sound," he explained to the microphones, with a smile on his lips. "I was clear from the beginning. You had to go long with the soft tire, make a stop and that's it." The 10 points in Suzuka know victory.

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