F1 News: Ferrari Chief On Carlos Sainz – “One Can Feel That Carlos Is Not A Team Player”
Carlos Sainz had an amazing weekend at the British Grand Prix as he brought home his first ever win of his F1 career. With Charles Leclerc in front, Carlos was forced to overtake him as his teammates hard tyres didn’t have the grip to maintain the position, despite calls from Ferrari to let Leclerc take the win.
Sainz, feeling the pressure from Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez behind him, decided to take his changes and overtake Leclerc, despite being asked to give the Monégasque racing driver “breathing face”.
Ferrari chief Mattia Binotto has revealed that he completely supports this move despite going against Ferrari orders.
“No. He had to protect himself from cars behind, and so he was also protecting our advantage,” Binotto told the press. “We all agreed. Without the full picture, one can feel that Carlos is not a team player, but before he gave up his position without hesitation.”
Ferrari drivers haven’t had the best of luck with their team’s strategy recently over the last few years, and Leclerc certainly hasn’t come off brilliantly for this reason. Only a few weeks ago at the Monaco Grand Prix, the driver lost a win thanks to poor team orders.
Fans support Sainz’s decision here, but agree that he had the advantage over Leclerc due to swapping tyres during the safety car where Leclerc stayed out on hard tyres. Leclerc later dropped to P4, meaning that if Sainz didn’t make this move, he would have likely been overtaken as well leaving Ferrari without a win.
Sainz address his win after the race:
“I cannot describe it. It’s probably the best feeling that you can have as a racing driver to win for Ferrari in such a great place like Silverstone. With this crowd, with so many drivers also coming to me to congratulate me, feeling a lot of respect for them. It’s a very happy day in my life…”