Carlos Sainz defended himself when asked about Ferrari's order not to attack Charles Leclerc in the final laps of the British GP
Carlos Sainz won for the first time in Formula 1 at the British Grand Prix, held last Sunday (3), and disobeying an order from Ferrari. After stopping to put on soft tires at the end, the team instructed the Spaniard to let Charles Leclerc, teammate and race leader, open a ten car gap to be able to defend himself with worn hard tires.
Sainz did not comply with the order and went on the attack, taking the lead out of the hands of Leclerc, who was eventually also overtaken by Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton, even missing out on the podium. At the Austrian GP press conference, Carlos defended himself.
"Well, Ferrari won. I won. So it was not the wrong decision. I think at that time, I knew perfectly well what to do in the car. I knew I shouldn't put Charles in a bad position, but I wanted to give Ferrari a win. That's what the team cares most about, and I think everything I did was sensible," he declared.
"I didn't put Charles under unnecessary risk or pressure by overtaking him, knowing that I would pass him fairly and easily with the softs. I won the race for Ferrari, and I think it was a good finish," added the Spaniard.
Asked if he would take the same attitude if the situation were to repeat itself, Sainz did not hesitate to confirm. In the Drivers' World Championship standings, Charles has an 11-point lead over his fellow Spaniard, who occupies fourth place.
"So, yes, I would do the same again, and I think the team would perfectly understand my position. That's why they didn't ask for the distance again because they knew that what I argued over the radio was totally valid," he concluded.