Carlos Sainz explains why Ferrari decided for Charles Leclerc's undercut in 2023 F1 Hungarian GP

Carlos Sainz explains why Ferrari decided for Charles Leclerc’s undercut in 2023 F1 Hungarian GP. Carlos explains Charles' undercut.

Ferrari, Carlos Sainz comments on Charles Leclerc’s undercut
Ferrari unfortunately leaves the Hungaroring circuit with many more questions than answers. The SF-23 proved to be the fourth force on the track in Budapest and, above all, showed itself unable to compete with either Red Bull or McLaren and Mercedes.

The gap from the MCL60 and W14, on a track that theoretically could have favored the Scuderia, should be the focal point of analysis in Maranello in view of the second part of the 2023 Formula One season, and Carlos Sainz doesn’t hesitate to emphasize it. However, the Spanish driver also points a finger at Ferrari’s strategy, which, in his opinion, favored Charles Leclerc: during the second pit stop, the Maranello team called back the Monegasque early, allowing him to perform an undercut against Carlos Sainz himself. A choice that, according to the “Smooth Operator,” the team at the pit wall made deliberately to compensate for #16’s slow first pit stop.

Carlos Sainz’s words
“There’s not much to say, Charles had a slow pit stop, and at the pit wall, they changed the positions to compensate. It’s a shame, but what we need to worry about is the gap that Mercedes is giving us. McLaren is clearly ahead of us as well, so we need to focus on ourselves and improve because our rivals are making significant strides,” the Spanish driver told his compatriots, as reported by Marca.

The pace still under scrutiny
“It wasn’t bad; in the first 15 laps, everything went as I wanted, attacking and making the soft tire last longer,” the Spanish driver continued. “Once I put on the hard tire and started the longest stint of my race, however, our Grand Prix was compromised. Unfortunately, as always happens, with stints longer than 20 laps, we end up suffering from tire degradation.” – Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver Carlos Sainz concluded at the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.