It is not often that the F1 witnesses a driver discharge during a race. Well, apparently it happened at the Styrian Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton paved the way for Carlos Sainz, who was on fresher tires, chasing Lando Norris, who finished in P5.
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Fearing an incident similar to the one between Esteban Ocon and Max Verstappen at the 2019 Brazilian GP, the Spaniard decided not to take any risks against Hamilton. Instead, the Ferrari pit wall worked with Mercedes to find a solution.
And finally, Sainz found some breathing space when Hamilton took his foot off the accelerator and let the Scuderia pass on the straight. Sainz also waved a “thank you” to the seven-time world champion and said he owed Hamilton a favor.
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What did Carlos Sainz say?
As reported by Motorsport, Sainz Ferrari initially got the idea to communicate with Mercedes and asked to let his car pass a much slower Hamilton.
“Can’t you talk to Mercedes and tell them I’ll leave, please?” He asked. While Ferrari initially insisted that Sainz should push past the Mercedes, the Spaniard was not comfortable enough with this step. Therefore, Ferrari confirmed that they are investigating it.
Formula 1 F1 – French Grand Prix – Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France – June 20, 2021 Ferraris Carlos Sainz Jr. in action during the REUTERS / Eric Gaillard race
After a series of radio conversations, the Maranello outfit finally told Sainz that Hamilton would slow down to let him pass. “I owe Lewis something, thank you guys,” Sainz told his team and waved to the Mercedes driver.
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How did Sainz find himself behind the Mercedes F1 champion?
The Spaniard opted for a massive first stint on medium-sized tires that lasted 43 laps. After a pit stop for a set of hard tires, Sainz came out on P7 behind Lance Stroll. It took him a little more than a lap to jump past the Aston Martin, and he had a relatively clear stretch to go.
Sainz then struggled to get his tires up to temperature. Therefore, he could not escape Hamilton and had to let him through because of the blue flags.
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Formula 1 F1 – Styria Grand Prix – Red Bull Ring, Styria, Austria – June 26, 2021 Ferraris Carlos Sainz Jr. before the Styria Grand Prix REUTERS / Leonhard Foeger
And while Sainz hoped Hamilton would move further away, it wasn’t. The Brit started struggling and his pace only went downhill from then on. Sainz spent almost 15 laps behind the Mercedes before Hamilton let Sainz drive out himself.
This clearly shows the pace that Ferrari had in its pocket at the Styrian Grand Prix and was sabotaged by a relatively poor qualifying pace. So can the Reds improve their one-lap pace next weekend and try to challenge the leaders?
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View history: Lewis Hamilton: Ranking of his F1 world titles from 2008 to 2020
The post “I Owe Lewis One” – Sainz explains his gratitude to Hamilton after the Styrian F1 GP first appeared on monter-une-startup.
