Binotto explains why Ferrari asked Leclerc to stay on track

The British Grand Prix, although won by Carlos Sainz, doesn’t really resonate as a victory for the Scuderia. Despite the issues with both Red Bulls, Ferrari failed to capitalize and achieve a one-two finish. Poor driver management at the start of the race saw Charles Leclerc stuck behind Carlos Sainz for too long, causing him to lose a lot of time against Lewis Hamilton.

Ferrari’s real mistake occurred during the intervention of the safety car caused by Esteban Ocon’s mechanical issue. Ferrari chose to bring Carlos Sainz in and not Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver found himself still leading, but chased by Sainz, Hamilton, and Perez, all on fresh soft tyres, while Leclerc was on worn hard tyres.

Leclerc will ultimately finish 4th, and this result disappoints him greatly. However, Mattia Binotto has a clear explanation for this questionable strategic choice: « We thought we didn’t have enough space between Charles and Carlos to stop both cars at the same time, so we had to choose between the first and second car. We decided to stop Carlos because Charles had the position on the track and was leading the race. We couldn’t predict what the others would do if we brought in Charles, so for us, the answer was clear: not to stop Charles and let him stay ahead, and bring in Carlos because he was the only one we could bring in. We bet on a strong degradation of the soft tires, but the tires held up. »

For Leclerc, it’s a new disappointment linked to the Scuderia’s strategy, but for Carlos, it’s finally the opportunity to step onto the highest step of the podium for the first time. What could have been a Ferrari 1-2 finish turned into a 1-4, while a big blow in the championship was possible with Verstappen’s difficulties.