Carlos Sainz did not take pole position at the 2021 Azerbaijan GP. The Spaniard started fifth. In Q3, his first attempt, the gap to Charles was three and a half tenths. Ok, acceptable … in his last lap before losing the car following Tsunoda’s crash, he was improving. But of course he was not the only one doing this. Bottas, for example, was on a very fast lap. This is to say that often, in a world where you drive at 300 per hour, in addition to the details, timing also counts. Was he unlucky to find the Japanese’s AlphaTauri “in the way” ? Maybe. However, he had the chance to put the three sectors together and place himself in front of everyone and he did not take advantage of it. Thus began Carlos’s difficult weekend in Baku. Yes, because leaving aside the usual comments and statements that fill the Ferrari press office releases with pride, the truth is different: when your partner starts from the pole and you hardly see him because of the cars in the middle, the situation is far from ideal.
Carlos drives a Ferrari and, like Charles, the set-up chosen by the Maranello technicians did not fully convince in the race. With the Red Pirelli tyre, performance and duration did not pay as expected and, in the case of the Spanish driver, the hard braking on the first lap undoubtedly made the management of the first stint more complicated. Carlos’ weekend showed a few too many mistakes which, on balance, determined the final result.
On Tuesday afternoon the Spaniard returned to Baku, virtually, of course. Inserting the track parameters into the simulator, thanks to the data extrapolated during the race, makes it possible to reconstruct the behavior of the car through a detailed study. In this way, the causes that negatively affected performance are sought, useful for increasing understanding of the car which, in turn, will correct the future behaviour of the car. Ferrari is working a lot in this respect, convinced that maximizing the package is the most efficient way in this year of transition in view of the new regulatory era.
Carlos Sainz is a perfectionist, this has been widely understood since his first appearances with Ferrari. On the other hand, attention to detail is crucial in a context like that of Formula 1. The first radio communication concerns the usual procedures that must be completed before departure. The Iberian, before the now canonical greeting with Adami, takes as his starting point the clutch detachment of the last start practice, carried out before reaching the grid. The Italian engineer makes it known that Stroll alone will start with the Hard. Having assimilated the info, Carlos asks about the mediums and in this regard he is immediately clarified.
Preparation for the start requires the usual attention in activating the tyres. Once the installation lap has been completed, here we are. Starting grid. Box number 5. Carlos’ start is a right one: the excellent clutch release allows the Italian car to stay side-by-side with Gasly. The Frenchman, however, closes the door and pushes the Ferrari driver outwards who, moreover, is passed by Perez in turn 1. In the short straight that leads to the second braking section of the circuit, the Spanish driver goes too energetically on the brakes and blocks the front axle. The incident will affect the performance and degradation of the tyres used in this first stint.
At the third lap the DRS is active; while Carlos tries to get close to Pierre, Alonso follows the SF21 close by. The hybrid mapping is set to Soc 6, a normal race value that allows you to spend an amount of energy equal to that assimilated. However, the pace at this stage does not seem excellent, so much so that the Frenchman from Alpha Tauri takes a slight margin. On the contrary, the gap on Alonso grows. While a change to the differential concerning the entry into the corner is suggested, the first tire phase up date of the race arrives, to inform the wall of the data regarding the compounds.
Then, on lap 8, the first communication on strategies arrives. Two solutions are at stake: Plan A vs Plan B. The Spaniard’s response is articulated and includes various arguments related to the initial flattening that caused a disparity between the functioning of the axles. Therefore, after a brief discussion, the Ferrari driver prefers not to make a final decision and postpone any choice for a few laps. Adami’s subsequent message underlines the importance of the current phase. The message is clear: “Head down and push”. Carlos executes, immediately lowers the lap time and takes home the compliments of the Italian engineer. When the pace finally seems good, the time for the stop has arrived. Caros, questioned about the possible change for the front wing, opts for a slightly higher flap angle in order to load the front end. The call to the pits came shortly thereafter: the red-striped Pirellis were already finished.
The Ferrari mechanics took 2.4 seconds to fix a train of new Hard tyres on number 55. Back on track, the Italian car finds itself behind Kimi who, with the Mediums, extends his first stint. Not even the time to activate the compounds and the top 5 chances are gone: after 9 corners, with warm up not yet completed, the rear axle is still not up to temperature, while, apparently, the front one is. This discrepancy, added to too strong braking, once again leads to locking on the front axle. The escape route prior to the iconic fold under the Castle saves number 55 from a much more cruel fate. Carlos has nothing else to do but stop the car, enter reverse and get back on track.
Just at that moment Giovinazzi arrives but, fortunately, the situation remains under control. It is not for us to judge the safety of the maneuver. What is certain is that, even taking a look from the on board of the Italian, there were no alternatives to resume the march. Perhaps the timing could have been better, but I suppose that in those particular moments losing more time is not in the mind of the driver. Carlos Sainz apologizes and resumes running. Adami reassures him and reminds him that the race is still very long. Meanwhile, with bitterness mixed with anger, the Spaniard now sits in fifteenth place.
The comeback takes shape with the overtaking on Alfa Romeo number 99. In Sainz’s mind, this maneuver should not have had great difficulties. And instead, contrary to what one might have thought, the exhaust of the Swiss car will remain for a long time the panorama from which Carlos sees his ambitions turn off. The hybrid does not help here either: the Soc 9 mapping releases an almost imperceptible energy support. The laps go by and the nervousness rises. Lap 21: in a depressed tone, the Spaniard makes his disappointment public, and then asks why overtaking is so difficult. A cold “copy” is all that the wall responds to. To erase the frustration and make sense of an anonymous race at that moment, the use of the K1 overboost is allowed for a longer time which, combined with the mobile wing, gives the Ferrari driver the opportunity to get quite close to Giovinazzi.
The pass arrives on lap 25: the SF21 takes all the tow, swerves to the right and strikes Antonio off the braking point of turn 3. Having freed himself of the “cap”, Carlos picks up the pace. Adami supports him and invites him to give his best, and then congratulate him on the good work done in free air. Having reached Alonso, the previous problems, fortunately, do not manifest themselves. Again, K1 works and supports the Iberian in overtaking his friend and compatriot Fernando. The Alpine does not enjoy a particular strong race pace at that moment and, on the main line, leaves room without too many fuss for the Italian car.
The next target is papaya-colored, carries the number 3, is slower at this stage of the race but is about ten seconds ahead. Carlos Sainz’s commitment is maximum. The desire to try to get the race back on track pushes the Ferrari driver to do his best. The pace is at the level of the top three and the gap with Ricciardo decreases visibly until, on lap 30, Stroll’s Aston Martin leads to a Saftey Car after a crash near the pit lane caused by a puncture. The pit lane remains closed and Bernd Mayländer takes to the track. Behind the red Mercedes, the big group drives for several laps, during which the drivers do their utmost with tyre management. Mode PW, continuous zigzags to keep the front axle up in temperature and various radio communications occupy the time under the double yellow flag regime.
A quick briefing between the wall and the driver, as they try to establish the best conditions for the restart. Many details are discussed. The goal is to recover, if possible, some previously lost positions. In this sense, there are a couple of changes on secondary mappings, relating to the functioning of the PU. The lap before the restart, the pit lane reopens, but Ferrari decides to stay out. Adami charges Carlos. He reminds him of the importance of the moment, and then points out the excellent pace, at the level of the first three, that he was able to maintain before the accident. The Safety Car leaves the track in the thirty-sixth lap. The parameters of the brake balance are reset, Carlos changes to the mode race, charge button on and go. The race picks up its pace when there are 16 laps still to go until the checkered flag.
The tear rewards the Spaniard: K2 on, the number 55 is thrown outside in corner 1. This move is worth overtaking on Ricciardo’s McLaren, while to put Bottas’s Mercedes behind it will be necessary to wait for the braking of corner 3. Two positions recovered place the Ferrari driver in ninth place, sandwiched between the two papaya-colored cars. It will take a while to “dissipate” the annoying temperature disparity between the axles that makes managing the car difficult. In this regard, Adami suggests a modification to the rear brake parameter, useful for balancing the functioning of the compounds. Once the situation is back, nothing worthy of note happens until lap 47. Similar to Stroll’s incident, the Pirelli tyres play a bad joke on Verstappen: the Dutchman suffers a puncture in the rear left which causes a crash against the barriers at pit lane level. Despite the dangerous location of RB16B number 33, the race direction lingers. It takes, in fact, a full lap to slow down the race with the entry of the Safety Car. Carlos, who had recently complained about the brake pedal being a bit long, describes it as “very dangerous” not to lift your foot in such situations. For what it’s worth, I agree with him very much.
Going at high speed near a car relegated to the side of the track with the area covered with debris is a madness that F1 cannot afford. The double yellow flag regime is then interrupted with three laps to go with the display of the red flag, to prevent the race from ending behind the Safety Car. Thus, all the single-seaters return to the pit lane, allowing the stewards to restore the conditions necessary to resume the race. Carlos Sainz jumps off the SF21 and, unlike his teammate, undertakes a discussion with Adami of which, however, we have no evidence, having been made with the radio signal off.
The discussion lasts for a while, until Carlos heads for the pits. It will take about 25 minutes to jump back into the saddle and set in motion the procedures for the restart. Mattia Binotto leaves the post and goes to greet the Spaniard: a pat on his back accompanies a “good luck”. Finally everything is ready. The belts are adjusted, radio check carried out, the information necessary for the restart arrives. Radio communications, unlike what usually happens, will be open during the lap. Moment in which a decision will be made on how to restart: rolling or standing. However, somewhat surprisingly, two minutes later Masi informed the teams, opting for a standing restart. Carlos is advised on the procedures to be completed in the formation lap, at the end of which the number 55 will be positioned on the left side of the grid to occupy the eighth box.
Still in the pit lane, Adami instructs the Ferrari driver with extreme accuracy. During the formation lap, the Iberian will have to set the Soc 8 hybrid mapping, to maximize the use of the K1 which, if necessary, the Spaniard can use in double application, without forgetting the usual support of K2. In addition, the Italian engineer asks to evaluate a change to the brake balance: in fact, moving the braking distribution by one point to the rear can avoid blockages at the front, fatal at this point in the race. In the formation lap, the “waving” is massive, in order to increase the temperature on the front. The start is good, but Riccardo’s is better: the Australian throws himself to the right, joins the Red car and tries to overtake from the outside. Carlos disagrees, lengthens the braking and covers the position; shrewd, Alonso takes advantage of this duel and takes an internal trajectory that allows him to overtake Carlos.
While Carlos Sainz is still defending himself from McLaren, with a frankly inappropriate dose of optimism, he goes on the brakes too late and too hard. The resulting blockage to the front axle sent the Spaniard out of the way. Daniel is lying in wait, swerves to the left and launches the attack in the extension that leads to turn 3. Fortunately, the acceleration of the SF21 is enough to keep the British car behind. The problem Lewis suffered gives Carlos the opportunity to recover one place and finish in eighth position, unable to overtake Tsunoda in the lap and a half missing from the conclusion of the race. Although the final result does not satisfy anyone at Ferrari, for how things had turned out after the mistake under the Castle, the final place is certainly not the worst outcome. In the last radio team there is no comment on the race: in some cases words are not necessary.
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