Sainz: Thank God I've been following F1 for 15 years

Ferrari blundering is becoming an every race Sunday ritual, as the question is no longer if the Scuderia will mess up, it's now 'when' will they go bizarre on us again with missing the wheel during Sainz's pitstop during the Dutch Grand Prix really taking the cake.

Then there was the dangerous release which put the cherry on it; to sum up, what could go wrong with his crew, did go wrong for the Spaniard. And not the first time either.

But on the eve of what will be a frenzied weekend at Monza for Ferrari, Sainz is being philosophical about his plight when he told F1.com: “Thank God I've been following for Formula 1 for 15 years, and I've been educated by seeing it and seeing how it works so I'm totally fine with it.

"That's why maybe I'm so chilled after a race when something big happens because I know it's coming and I'm trying to keep it low-key, but yeah, Monza is going to be an incredible weekend, having everyone there, full crowd, fighting with a competitive Ferrari, I think is the best possible scenario that you can have as a racing driver.

“And I'm keen to enjoy my target that we can use especially to enjoy it and because there's always so much to do – there's always extra media, extra things, extra events, extra pressure – that sometimes maybe they don't allow you to open your eyes and see this is actually happening.

“I'm racing for Ferrari in Monza in a competitive car and then you appreciate it a lot more and you enjoy it a lot more and this will be my target and then let's see how the weekend goes, how the car performs, etcetera. But I'm going to go a bit more with that approach.”

Red Bull are operating at at an impressive level in recent races considering Verstappen won from tenth on the grid (surviving a spin) at the tight confines of high-downforce Hungaroring.

A month later, at the end of the summer break, he was again untouchable around high-speed Spa-Francorchamps. Again he was untouchable winning from 14th on the grid! Notably his teammate Sergio Perez has been no match, meaning that what makes Adrian Newey RB18 good, is Max.

And of course, last Sunday in front of his adoring Orange Army, Verstappen was the cream of the crop, extending his 2022 F1 World Championship lead to 109 points ahead of Round 16.

Are Ferrari worried heading home: “A bit, yeah, I'm not going to lie,” Sainz admitted. “After Spa, if there's a track similar to Spa with similar configurations it’s Monza and we know they are going to be strong there.

"It’s another track that should suit them, but this doesn't mean that we can't react from Spa and at least make their life a bit more difficult around Monza."

Nevertheless, Sainz - who is fifth in the 2022 F1 drivers' standings - has hope: “Wins can still happen in different ways. You might not be the fastest but you might find a way to make it around and win so we're going to give it our best shot.”

That would mean smart strategy and flawless pitstop work from Ferrari this weekend... Let's not go there!

Rather remember the good stuff: Leclerc's memorable victory at the hallowed venue in 2019 to serve as inspiration for a big Red party at Monza on Sunday.