Carlos Sainz’s clever move to let Norris past, then re-pass him | 2021 US GP. Carlos Sainz's clever move.

In the first laps of the 2021 United States Grand Prix, there was the impression that Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver Carlos Sainz did not obeyed order to let Lando Norris past, yet onboard footage revealed the Ferrari driver did follow the order from race control to let the McLaren driver pass him.
Carlos Sainz immediately reclaimed the place, however, with what McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl described as a “clever” move from the Spanish driver, who was informed that he needed to give the position back to Lando Norris due to the fact that Carlos went off-track at turn 12 while trying to defend his position in a duel with the McLaren driver on lap one. Daniel Ricciardo also went off at the same corner in his McLaren, and Carlos Sainz immediately let him through.

On lap six, Carlos Sainz was told he had to let Norris by. “Carlos we have been instructed by race director to give a position to Lando for turn 12 lap one, I’m afraid,” said race engineer Riccardo Adami.

At that moment, Carlos Sainz appeared to have confused the two orange cars in his mirrors. “No, I gave it to Ricciardo back in turn 16,” he replied. “I lifted on purpose. It was not Lando. I already gave up one position to them, please,” he added.

As Carlos Sainz began the next lap Adami told him: “We have been already discussing so I’m afraid we have to do it now, let him by.” When Carlos asked where he should let the McLaren through Adami told him: “Right now, before turn 11.”

Carlos, who at that stage had a two-second advantage over Lando Norris, slowed down and allowed his former teammate to pass between turns seven and eight, but stayed close to the McLaren through the next three corners and crossed the DRS detection line approaching turn 11 within a second of his rival.

As a result, the Ferrari driver was able to use DRS on the following straight, and launched his SF21 car down the inside of Norris from a considerable distance back to reclaim the place at turn 12.

Andreas Seidl said race control made the correct decision by ordering Carlos Sainz to give up the position. “From my point of view it was clear that Carlos only got Lando back because he went off the track,” he said. “So that’s why we expected that he had to give the position back which then he had to do later on.

“But unfortunately he did it in a clever way so that he could actually overtake Lando back straight away on the next straight so we couldn’t benefit from that.”