At the Formula 1 race in Barcelona, Ferrari once again had no chance in the fight for victory and ultimately lost out to Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton finished one position ahead of his teammate George Russell on the podium, while the Ferraris had to line up behind him.
This was not only, but possibly also, due to a controversial maneuver by the Formula 1 record world champion in turn 1. A maneuver that was actually over the limit, at least if you ask Carlos Sainz. On lap 19, Hamilton overtook the Spaniard on the inside in turn 1 with a late braking maneuver, resulting in slight contact between the Ferrari driver and his future successor.
Hamilton pushes past Sainz: Was that unfair?
Sainz ran out of space and Hamilton was able to overtake him. The Madrilenian was not at all happy about the maneuver: “He touched me, he pushed me off the track,” he complained on the radio. The stewards did not see this as an offense and concluded the subsequent investigation without finding anyone guilty.
This only caused Sainz more anger: “I don’t understand why we have a rule book if we don’t follow it.” Hamilton naturally saw the action differently than the local hero: “All the overtaking maneuvers were very close. I think we had a slight tire contact, but it was fair and I gave him space.”
Even though it may not have been decisive for Sainz, who ultimately finished in sixth position, the Spaniard was still bothered by the overtaking maneuver after the race: “I had the feeling that he pushed me off the track and I was half a car length ahead.”
Sainz vs. Leclerc: Contact in the Ferrari duel
He cannot understand the race stewards’ associated acquittal of Hamilton: “Normally, the rule this year was that if you are half a car length away from the front, you have to leave some space. That’s what the stewards decided this year and I tried to benefit from this rule.”
It was not the only contact Sainz had at this point. On lap 3 there was already contact between him and, of all people, his own teammate, Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque tried to defend an attack on the inside in turn 1, Sainz managed to get past on the outside, but was again touched by Leclerc and had to avoid it via the run-off area. But the driver, who is still without a contract for the 2025 Formula 1 season, stayed ahead in this case.
Carlos Sainz against the stewards: Why do different rules apply?
Sainz’s criticism is probably referring to cases such as that of Fernando Alonso in the China sprint, who also forced the Ferrari with the number 55 off the track when attempting to overtake him and was subsequently penalized. But it is difficult to say whether the case at the Spanish GP is similar. Because Hamilton was significantly less than half a car length behind Sainz at the apex of the curve.
“I’m not saying that he drove too hard or not. I just want the stewards to try to apply the rules as they have done so far this season,” Sainz took Hamilton out of the firing line.
Apart from the Ferrari’s apparently slightly weaker pace compared to the Mercedes, the rest of the race was influenced above all by a strategy decision. Sainz received the hard tires at the last pit stop. Teammate Leclerc, who headed to the pits later, received the softest set of tires.
But the hard tires didn’t work well and Sainz had to let Leclerc pass without a fight on the way to the finish. Both Ferrari drivers agreed on one thing: Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes were all a bit too strong in Barcelona.