This is why Ferrari did not choose Sainz: 'Hindsight is always easy'

Although Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz seemed faster than his teammate Charles Leclerc and was driving right behind him on softer tyres during the early stages of the Hungarian GP, he was not let in front by the team. Nor was he given the chance for an undercut. Team boss Frederic Vasseur explains why.

Sainz didn't get the chances from Ferrari

It looked like Sainz was deliberately held back by his team to score well. With more pace on his soft tyres, the Spaniard was not given a the chance by his team to chase Lewis Hamilton who was ahead of Leclerc. When the pitstop window opened, it was Leclerc who was brought in first, denying Sainz a chance to continue a good strategy.

The Spanish media fell out over the way Sainz was treated by the team. Italy's Formulapassion.it quotes Vasseur's explanation for the strategy in Hungary, casually calling it an indirect response to the Spanish press. Vasseur: "It was the best way to secure the team result. We took into account Carlos' softs and the wear of these tyres. Leclerc had the potential to finish 20 seconds ahead of him."

Vasseur thinks it was the right choice

Vasseur continued: "We made the right choice. Nobody can predict beforehand whether there will be a problem with the 'wheel gun' or a penalty. It's always easy to talk and look back after the checkered flag is waves." Vasseur says Sunday was a difficult challenge and the starting position was decisive. Ferrari started from P11 with Sainz and P6 with Leclerc. The team boss concludes, "We could have finished fifth. It feels like a missed opportunity for us."

In the end, the two Ferrari drivers finished in P7 and P8. Leclerc was only seven tenths faster in the end. Leclerc threw it away by speeding in the pit lane. He received a five-second penalty. His pit stop took about eight seconds too long and he also got extra traffic in front of him afterwards, which cost him a lot of time. So, according to Ferrari's calculations, it cost him around 19 seconds in total.