A mistake by McLaren’s mechanics costs Carlos Sainz 6th place

During his pit stop, McLaren improperly secured the front right wheel of the Spanish driver’s car, which led to his retirement as he exited the pit lane.

This abandonment is very costly for McLaren and Sainz as he could have finished in 6th place and ultimately, 8 points are wasted. In the Constructors’ Championship, Renault therefore closes the gap to within 18 units of the Woking team.

« It’s a shame because this 6th place seemed almost assured in the current state of things. The Renaults were going faster, Albon couldn’t catch up with me, and I was going faster on average. I had problems at the rear of the car after the contact with Albon, because we lost a part. This cost me 2-3 tenths per lap, but it was still enough to finish 6th, » explains Sainz.

« Everything was going well, but the pit stop came, there was a bit of chaos and a bit of misunderstanding between the mechanics. It happens, this year the strategy and pit stops have been very good, but here we may have lost 8 points. I put it into perspective because we’ve gained a lot more points the rest of the year thanks to our stops. So we need to analyze what can be analyzed and see what could be improved, but I’m not sad either. » explained the Thai driver.

« In this phase [editor’s note: the pit stops], it’s not just about mechanics, we are all human beings, we can make mistakes, maybe something was broken somewhere. We need to analyze, learn, and improve. »

Could he really stay ahead of Albon’s Red Bull? Sainz thinks so.

« The Red Bull this weekend was superior to us, but not as much as in other races. So I knew I could contain it. I’m angry, because Albon was under my control and Verstappen couldn’t come back that far. So yes, it would have been a good 6th place for us. »

Furthermore, the McLaren team was fined €5,000 by the stewards.

« The stewards determined that the car had been released in unsafe conditions, in violation of Article 28.13 c) of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations » declare the stewards.

« We note that the driver stopped the car as soon as the problem with the front right wheel became apparent. »

Despite a strong weekend from McLaren, an error spoiled the party even though Lando Norris salvaged the situation with a very good 10th place. Let’s remember that the Briton started from 17th place on the grid.

From our special correspondent in Italy.