Carlos Sainz says he was “risking𝕴 everything” to secure his best-ever starting spot in Formula 1 during what he described as a “very stressful” qualifying. 

The McLaren driver grabbed third with a late effort in Q3 to claim his best F1 career starting spot for the Styrian Grand Prix during a wet qualifying sess꧒ion at the Red Bull Ring.

In what wa♔s a stellar performance, Sainz was just on🎀e-tenth shy of landing a front-row starting position and 1.398s adrift of poleman Lewis Hamilton, who stormed to a dominant pole position amid the treacherous conditions.

“Obviously a very happy and a very 📖good day for me,” Sainz said.

“I’m quite pleased that my best qualifying of the year came in these conditions because I loꦐve driving in the wet and I’ve always enjoyed 🍸myself a lot.

“Today, I did en🐽joy myself, but I must say it was 🐲quite stressful, it was a very stressful qualifying session.

“It would be good for you to see what we are going thrඣough in a F1 car towards the end of Q3, with the amount of standing water, with aquaplaning, not seeing anything, and just keeping your foot flat, trusting that the thing is going to grip and putting a lap together towards the end and riskin♔g everything.

“Very happy, very stressful but at the same time, I’m🦩 really looking forward to tomo🎃rrow for my best starting position.”

Heavy rain and thunderstorms had already caused the start of qualifying to be dela𒀰yed by 45 minutes, and there were concerns Q3 could be temporarily suspended as the weather deteriorated once more, but it ultimately went ahead and was completed as scheduled.

“Towards the end of the session it was definitely getting really, really tricky but I am glad they൩ left us ouꦰt there,” Sainz explained.

“These cars generate so much spray and 🌠so much water there was a v𓆏ery thin line where you put the tyres and there’s a small amount of grip to actually run.

“I think had the session been stopped the track would have🅠 just got worse and worse and then it would 🐷have been very difficult to get back out on track.

“These cars do a good job of dryi🎉ng out the track and keeping the w🐲ater out of it.

“These are the conditions that we as drivers enjoy the most, as there is the most natural instinct and whꦐat comes to you first.”