“The car wasn’t easy to drive in the conditions either. In practice on Friday, the wind suited us more, but it was completely different today. We still scored points though. It just shows that even on days when we’re not that optimal, we’re able to score points. In that sense, I’m very happy.”
Albon tops the midfield runners in the Drivers’ Championship, in seventh place with 18 points. He is ahead of Lewis Hamilton, and only two points behind the other Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.
Sainz, however, only has one point to his name, earned when he was promoted to the top 10 following the three disqualifications in China.
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His race in Japan was made more difficult than it could have been thanks to the grid penalty he picked up for impeding in Qualifying. Starting P15, he ran a long first stint on the mediums and switched to the soft tyres late on.
But while he did manage a few overtakes, he could not climb back towards the top 10.
