Sainz accuses Latifi of robbing Monaco of victory
In the lead on the 22nd lap when he had not yet stopped, Sainz went through the pits to swap his rain tires for hard rubber. Sergio Perez, who is hot on his heels in the intermediates, must also stop to pass slicks. The Spaniard must therefore complete a quick lap out of the pits to ensure he stays ahead of the Mexican who stops one lap later.
Only, Sainz came out of the pits just behind the Williams of latecomer Nicholas Latifi. The Canadian does not deviate from the trajectory despite the blue flags which enjoin him to let the leaders pass. Latifi decides to let the Ferrari pass at the entrance to the tunnel, but it is already too late: Sergio Perez comes out of the pits just ahead of Carlos Sainz.
The Spaniard, who called on his team to “get this guy out of [sa] road” on the radio, does not take off, while an outing in front of the Mexican might have allowed him to win.
“You can understand the frustration and the feeling I felt, because I knew my race was on that lap out of the pits. Coming out of the pit lane, I slipped on the wet end and [Latifi] one just managed to sneak past me. » regret Carlos Sainz.
“Knowing that I was the race leader at the time, he could perfectly have stayed behind me instead of passing me, when I had to stay to the right of the yellow line, which some others had difficulty to do. » continue the Spaniard by clearly targeting the two Red Bull drivers who have bitten the line, which is prohibited but which has not been sanctioned despite Ferrari’s request.
“I had to follow [Latifi] in turns 3 to 8 and at the exit of turn 8, he cleared into the tunnel. But by then I had already lost tire temperature and time to tell the difference on the slick. And just because I was stuck behind the slowest car on the grid at the time, it cost me the opportunity to stay ahead of Checo after the pitstop. » enrage Sainz.
“So you can imagine my frustration, you can understand my shouting on the radio to get him out of my way, but for some unknown reason it took longer than expected. »
With this second place, Carlos Sainz imitated his result of last year when he achieved his first podium with Ferrari behind Max Verstappen. But this fine result remains very frustrating for those who are chasing after their first victory in the premier class despite already having ten podiums.