Carlos Sainz: The team understands me very well

Carlos Sainz insists he did the right thing when he argued with the team during the race at Silverstone, assuring he would continue to do the same, as in the end he won the race, and this is a significant achievement for both him and Ferrari.

With 13 laps to go in the British Grand Prix, Sainz was behind his teammate Charles Leclerc when the safety car appeared on track. The Spaniard went into the pits and got new Soft tires while Leclerc stayed on track.

But when Carlos was asked at the restart to hold back the rest of the pack and allow Charles to break 10 car lengths, he objected to the team, acted in his own way, ran ahead of his partner and won his first win in Formula 1. Leclerc only finished fourth – worn tires didn’t allow him to defend effectively against opponents.

Before the Austrian Grand Prix, Sainz stated that he did not regret his actions.

Carlos Sainz: “Well, Ferrari won, I won, so it’s absolutely certain that this decision was not wrong. In that situation I knew exactly what to do. I understood that it would not be necessary to put Charles in a difficult position, but I also understood that it was necessary for Ferrari to win the race. For the team this is the most important and I believe all my actions were appropriate.

When I overtook Charles I didn’t endanger or pressure him, knowing I could easily get in front of him on soft tires. I won the race for Ferrari and I think it ended well in the end.

Therefore I will do the same again and I believe that the team understands me perfectly – that is why they have not repeated their instruction on the ten bodies. When I argued with them on the radio, they understood that this was the case.