Carlos Sainz Jnr was one of many drivers who were perplexed by the safety car rounding off towards the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver said the decision of the race management to allow only five of the eight lapped cars to recapture the lead lap had put his third place at risk with cars behind. Within a second and a half he crossed the finish line with the AlphaTauris of Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly.
In the safety car phase, which ended on the penultimate lap, Sainz finished on a podium with three laps to go after Red Bull Sergio Perez had been eliminated three laps to go.
Shortly before the race was resumed, the race management asked the lapped drivers between the leader Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen to overtake the safety car. Those between Verstappen and Sainz – McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll – had to stay in formation, however.
That meant that Sainz restarted the race with two lapped cars in front of him and Valtteri Bottas filled his mirrors.
“It was certainly a very strange situation for me, because I was fighting for a podium with Valtteri and some AlphaTauris behind them with a medium tire,” said Sainz.
Report: F1 midfield runners are “speechless” and confused about the controversial late restart“In the beginning I was told that you, the people in front of me, shouldn’t expose yourself. And then it was decided to unlap yourself. And some people fell out on their own, but there was still an Aston Martin and Ricciardo’s McLaren between the two leaders and me.
“I’ve never had to restart the race with these two guys in front of me while I was fighting for third place.”
One of the two drivers in front of Sainz quickly avoided him. Blue flags were waved at the beginning of the second sector after the two cars in front had created a small distance from Sainz, so Stroll slowed significantly to let Sainz and the Bottas and AlphaTauri drivers chasing after them through.
Ricciardo, meanwhile, followed the two leaders and crossed the finish line 1.3 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton and finished twelfth, one lap less. Over a minute later, the drivers with whom he had previously fought for points saw the checkered flag after they had previously completed the lap themselves.
“I think it was strange and maybe something to watch because it was just very strange and to be honest it almost cost me my podium,” said Sainz in conclusion.
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Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021
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