Carlos Sainz defends dramatic maneuver on George Russell at Mexican GP

Sainz denied Russell's double-move claim and defended his legal braking zone defense for fourth place.

Carlos Sainz defends dramatic maneuver on George Russell at Mexican GP

Carlos Sainz and George Russell ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort

Carlos Sainz finished 4th in the Mexican Grand Prix after fending off Lando Norris and George Russell. Russell complained about some questionable moves Sainz made early on in the race, weaving to defend into turn 1. When the Mercedes driver tried to move into fourth place, Sainz rightfully defended the corner, but the Briton accused him of changing directions in the braking zone.

Changing directions under braking is not permitted, as a driver is allowed to move once before going back to the racing line during braking. The Spaniard defended himself, saying he did not move during braking, but rather before the corner. Sainz claimed that George Russell only appealed the move in the hopes that his rival would be penalized for doing so.

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You cannot move on the braking but you can move right before braking and that's what I was doing. When you're behind you open the radio, you complain about the guy in front and [hope] he gets a warning or a five-second penalty because it benefits you.
Carlos Sainz said as reported by racingnews365.com

The Spanish Ferrari racer did manage to keep the position by the end of the race, while Russell got passed in a comeback drive by Lando Norris who started 17th. Sainz said that though he started second in the Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen had so much pace that they would surely finish ahead of the Ferrari driver. 

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Sainz has moved to 4th place in the Driver’s standings, ahead of Fernando Alonso, whose form at the start of the season has come to a complete stall, and a double DNF for Aston Martin in Mexico has only added to their trouble.

Carlos Sainz commended Lewis Hamilton’s Mexico GP drive

Lewis Hamilton managed to pull off an incredible race to finish second behind Max Verstappen, and his performance was praised by many. Hamilton started only sixth, but managed to complete a series of great overtakes to stand on the podium. Hamilton had held the same position last week before being disqualified in the US GP. 

Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz
Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz (via IMAGO)

Carlos Sainz was quick to compliment both Hamilton and Verstappen, who won his record-breaking 16th Grand Prix in Mexico, speaking to Sky Sports F1. 

In the race it was pretty clear that they are a good step faster than us…today Lewis was in a different league together with Verstappen.
Sainz as reported by sportskeeda.com

It was a good race for both Sainz and Hamilton considering the Driver’s championship, as Sainz moved to fourth place right behind Hamilton. Hamilton closed in on Sergio Perez in second place, only 20 points behind the Mexican driver with three races and a sprint left in the calendar.

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