Following Carlos Sainz’s frustration during the Monaco Grand Prix, Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur has expressed his support for the team’s decision to pit Sainz on lap 34 in order to cover Lewis Hamilton’s position.
As Sainz found himself stuck behind Esteban Ocon in fourth place on the streets of Monte Carlo, his frustrations began to mount. A poorly timed attack on Ocon resulted in a broken front wing and further outbursts over the team radio to Ferrari.
Eventually called into the pits on lap 34, after initially ignoring previous calls to pit for fresh tires, Sainz found himself back behind Ocon once again. Expressing his frustration, Sainz exclaimed, “What the f***! This is exactly what I talked about!” When informed that the pit stop was done to cover Hamilton, he shouted, “I don’t care about Hamilton!”
Sainz believes that Ferrari should have exercised more patience and described the first pit stop as “debatable.” However, Vasseur stands firm in his belief that the decision was the right one given the circumstances.
“I think it was a good strategy because when we asked him to pit, it was to avoid losing a position against Hamilton,” Vasseur explained. “Positions are key on this track. It would have been better to extend if we were not at risk from Hamilton, but in this situation, I think it was the good call.”
Vasseur acknowledged Sainz’s frustration and understood the reason behind it. “He was a little frustrated,” he admitted. “He was behind Ocon and saw Alonso and Verstappen driving away. He probably had better pace and was frustrated.”
Sainz, reflecting on the race, feels that he missed out on a possible podium considering Ocon’s third-place finish. He admitted that he shouldn’t have expressed his frustration over the radio and acknowledged that the second pit stop was unpredictable due to changing weather conditions.
In the end, Sainz finished the race in eighth place, as he made contact with the barrier when rain began to fall. This dropped him behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, positioning him for a double-stack pit stop.
Looking back at the race, Vasseur stated, “You always learn on a tough weekend. You learn more from a tough weekend than from a good weekend. If we look at the first part of the weekend, you can say that the pace was good. But we missed the pace in Q3, and when you start fourth and sixth, you have to take a risk at some point, so I don’t have any regrets as far as the race is concerned.”
As the team prepares for the next race in Spain, Vasseur emphasized the need to move forward and focus on the upcoming challenges. He acknowledged the competitiveness of the field this year and highlighted the importance of paying attention to every detail in order to compete at the front of the grid in Barcelona.
