Formula 1: Carlos Sainz Jr. is close to an unwanted record

With another podium finish in Monaco, Carlos Sainz Jr. is closing in on another Formula 1 record — an unwanted record, however.

For the second straight year, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. finished in second place in the Monaco Grand Prix at Circuit de Monaco, giving him the fourth runner-up finish of his Formula 1 career.

The second place finish was his 10th career podium finish, but he has not yet won a race. Three more podium finishes without a victory would tie an all-time record for most podium finishes without a Grand Prix victory.

Nick Heidfeld holds the record, finishing on the podium 13 times in 183 races. Eight of his 13 podium finishes were runner-up finishes.

Separating Sainz from Heidfeld on the all-time list are Stefan Johansson and Chris Amon. Johannsson finished on the podium 12 times with four runner-up finishes, and Amon finished on the podium 11 times with three runner-up results.

Sainz is now tied with Romain Grosjean, whose 10 podium finishes consisted of two runner-up finishes.

Sainz has finished on the podium eight times since joining Ferrari at the start of the 2021 season, and four of those podium finishes, including two runner-up efforts, have come in the 2022 season’s first seven races.

Excluding his two DNFs, Sainz has four podium finishes in five races this year, and his only non-podium finish in those five events is a fourth place effort in the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and that came after he spun out.

So at the current rate, the 27-year-old Spaniard is poised to break the record in the near future, unless he is able to break through for his first career victory in the meantime.

Of the 771 drivers who have ever competed in Formula 1, 111 have been victorious. With the speed he and Ferrari have shown to start the 2022 season, Sainz should have what it takes to become the 112th. But will he do it before or after surpassing Heidfeld’s record?