The 2022 Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix race was not going too badly for Ferrari, with both of its cars in podium positions, but everything changed when the stops came. Those from Maranello decided to send Carlos Sainz to the pits when his soft tires began to deteriorate further and Lewis Hamilton was getting dangerously close with his Mercedes.
The man from Madrid, ready to add a new podium, entered the pitlane when he was indicated by the radio, although as the team director, Mattia Binotto , acknowledged, they made the call very hastily and unexpectedly caught the mechanics in red. That caused the driver to wait for his left rear tire in a stoppage that lasted about 13 seconds and sent him several positions behind.
However, that was not all for the Spaniard, as at his last stop he had an unsafe release with Fernando Alonso when the team allowed him to leave, and that cost him a 5-second penalty and fifth place. Thus, Sainz finished eighth, which was criticized by the 2016 world champion, Nico Rosberg, who assured that even “the F2 and F3 teams do better” than Ferrari.
The negative comments of the German about the Prancing Horse reached the ears of the team leader. Binotto , speaking after the race at Zandvoort in which they could barely celebrate Charles Leclerc’s podium finish, said: “First of all, I think it’s very easy to talk when you’re out [of the paddock]. It’s easy to criticize, but we’re not going to change people, that’s my response to Rosberg.
“We are not going to change people. We have great people, it has been shown that the most important thing in sport is stability and that we make sure to improve day by day and race by race,” the Swiss continued. “We have great individuals in the team, and I have no doubts about that.”
“All teams need years and experience to be at the front, and I think there is no reason for it to be any different for us,” defended the Ferrari chief. “Again, if you look at today, yes, it was we called very late to react on Lewis [Hamilton] with Carlos [Sainz].”
“It was too late a call, but I know, and he should know too, because he’s an experienced driver, that it’s much easier to fix those kinds of problems than performance. In my opinion, performance is what counts most today.” sentenced the boss of the most successful team in the history of Formula 1.
