“I can imagine…people might think Carlos was not acting as a team player”: Mattia Binotto explains how Carlos Sainz obeyed team orders in British GP

“I can imagine…people might think Carlos was not acting as a team player”: Mattia Binotto explains how Carlos Sainz obeyed team orders in British GP

Mattia Binotto

The British Grand Prix in Silverstone last weekend had been a massive affair for Scuderia Ferrari as they could finally put one of drivers on top of the grid to get the race win after a long wait ever since Charles Leclerc got his victory at the Australian Grand Prix. While Max Verstappen had been trying to chase down pole-sitter Carlos Sainz right from the second the British race started off for a second time after a red flag, the Red Bull racer had some damage in his car, due to which he slowed down, and Carlos Sainz soared to clinch his first-ever Grand Prix victory in his entire F1 career.

During the course of the race, there came a time when Charles Leclerc was breathing down the neck of Carlos Sainz as both he Ferrari racers desperately wanted a race win to prove their worth to the Tifosi. And while Charles Leclerc turned to the team radio for orders to overtake Sainz as the Spaniard seemed to be slowing down a bit, the Ferrari engineers gave a clean chit for the two of them to decide who goes in front of whom by battling it out for the lead of the race.

But now, the media reports suggest that Carlos Sainz had orders from Ferrari which he disobeyed and thus many people are now thinking that the British Grand Prix winner is not a team player afterall. But Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto gave a recent interview in which he debunked this myth.

Also Read: “The test is going to happen,” Toto Wolff reaffirms Romain Grosjean’s hopes for Mercedes Test

Mattia Binotto speaks in favour of Carlos Sainz, says he is a team player

Mattia Binotto
Mattia Binotto

It is never easy for a Formula 1 racer to yield his race lead to his teammate but if team orders require him to do so, he is bound to abide. But on Sunday in Silverstone, it is being said that Carlos Sainz had the orders to keep a ten-car-length distance between him and his teammate at the restart but he did not do so, this disobeying the orders. But Mattia Binotto has disagreed with the statement, saying that Carlos is a team player through and through, and they had no problems regarding him obeying the rules during the British Grand Prix.

Speaking on the topic of Carlos Sainz going by the orders issued by Ferrari, team principal Mattia Binotto said, “He (Sainz) made it clear to us that he had to defend himself against the pressure from behind. In doing so he was also defending our goal of staying at the front.”

Binotto continued, “As a team we appreciate that and we are aligned. I can imagine that without this information people might think Carlos was not acting as a team player.”

Read More: Pierre Gasly gives a glimpse of his “unforgettable dinner” with NBA legend, Michael Jordan in Miami