Carlos Sainz, in his Ferrari, couldn’t do much to threaten the top three in Silverstone last weekend. But he was arguably the best driver outside of McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull. He finished P5, bagging 10 valuable points for Ferrari. This may not have been possible for him, had it not been for his team’s strategists.
The radio conversation between Sainz and his race engineer Riccardo Adami became public in the days following the British GP. Throughout the race, the two kept discussing possible tire strategies and conditions on the track, with rain playing a part in the surface’s grip.
Here’s a break down of how Carlos and his engineers managed to read the race in mixed conditions and achieve the best decisions:
DAZN
csainznews_#CarlosSainz | #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/jZ4x2RtJQW— Carlos Sainz News (@CSainzNews_) July 9, 2024
Adami and Sainz were talking about parts of the circuit that were dry or wet by classifying them into colors. With cyan representing the least wet parts of the track and white the most, the Ferrari driver kept exchanging inputs with Adami.
The rain became heavy for a bit, but Sainz and his race engineer’s conversation prevented them from panicking. Instead, the Madrid-born driver decided to stay on slicks, which ultimately helped him maintain track position. The transcript also quotes Sainz saying, “You guys are doing a good job, keep it up.”
Sainz was happy with his strategists, but the same cannot be said about Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque pitted for intermediate tires, which ultimately ended his chances of getting into the points.
Mixed day for Ferrari in Britain
Leclerc started the British GP from P11, hoping to make up places in the Grand Prix and finish well within the points. Unfortunately, his intermediate tire pit stop came at a horrible time, which forced him to come in for a change in compound just a few laps later because the rain had stopped.
Moreover, Ferrari was the fourth-fastest in Silverstone, which limited Leclerc to a P14 finish, a lap behind race winner Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari, once the second-fastest behind Red Bull, has fallen down the pecking order as the season has progressed.
Another visual example of how Carlos comunicates with Ricky pic.twitter.com/uOscKGYWPT
— Carlos Sainz News (@CSainzNews_) July 9, 2024
As a result, they will now be hoping that incoming upgrades get them back to the top, as Red Bull’s faltering dominance presents the grid with the best chance at fighting for the Constructors’ Championship this season.
