F1, Ferrari in chaos: penalty to Carlos Sainz, box reveals strategy

Ferrari in chaos in France, even with the second single-seater.

Following the retirement of Charles Leclerc, who was in the lead at Le Castellet, came yet another trouble for the Cavallino. The problem involved Carlos Sainz, who was in the midst of a comeback and forced to change tires during the Safety Car caused by his own teammate. And here several problems occurred.

Once the tires were changed, in fact, the Spaniard was forced to wait a few seconds to allow several cars to cross the pit lane. He then got the go-ahead from the Ferrari mechanics, but obstructed the passage of a Williams. Inevitable was the consequence: the race director imposed a penalty on Sainz.

It was 5 seconds for “Unsafe release,” or dangerous restart from the pits. Also flawed was the communication from the Ferrari race wall to the driver: after the message over the radio, Sainz was in fact told that he had to stop for a “stop and go,” while it was a penalty to be served at the next pit stop or through subtraction of the five seconds in question at the end of the race.

However, Ferrari communication clarified worldwide that Sainz would serve the penalty “at the next pit stop,” in fact also openly revealing the race strategy chosen for the Spanish driver.