Carlos Sainz justifies overtaking Charles Leclerc in Q1: "I would've lost the lap"

Carlos Sainz justifies overtaking Charles Leclerc in Q1: “I would’ve lost the lap” | 2023 British GP. Carlos justifies overtaking Charles.

Ferrari, tension in Q1
The qualifying session for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone was not the easiest for the twenty Formula 1 drivers, given the typically English weather conditions they encountered on Saturday afternoon. In particular, the first segment – Q1 – proved to be quite chaotic, with the interruption caused by the red flag due to Kevin Magnussen’s Haas stopping on track, allowing the asphalt to dry.

The final lap – with three minutes remaining – was crucial to determine the top 15 for Q2, including Ferrari’s drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who were already in third and fourth positions respectively at the time of the stoppage. There was already some tension between the Spaniard and the Maranello team at the pit lane exit when he was asked to let Charles Leclerc pass as per previously agreed arrangements, resulting in protests from Carlos: “It’s a bit unfair what you asked me to do there, it made me lose tire temperature. Besides, I am at more risk. I am fourth, he is third.” – he pointed out.

Carlos Sainz then overtook Charles Leclerc on track, following what Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton had done, as they began overtaking the line of cars for fear of not completing their laps. Charles Leclerc immediately responded over the radio: “Bravo Carlos, congratulations. Nice overtaking at the last corner…”. Both Ferrari drivers successfully made it through to Q2, with the Monegasque finishing in fourth place and the Spaniard in fifth at the end of the qualifying session which was held at the Silverstone track.

Carlos Sainz explains the overtaking of Charles Leclerc
Carlos Sainz shared his perspective on the incident in an interview for Sky: “We have rules to respect for positions in qualifying. I have always respected them in the pit lane, but there was a moment in qualifying where if I didn’t push, I would have lost the lap.” Regarding his position on the third row for the Grand Prix, he explained: “I did a good lap, but nothing special. In these conditions, it’s always difficult, especially with the wind. We need to see what could have been done better, but I don’t think we could have done much more. When you see the two cars separated by a few milliseconds, it means we couldn’t have done more.” – the Ferrari man concluded.