Mattia Binotto explains long pit stop [8.1s] for Carlos Sainz in 2021 Turkish GP. Binotto explains long pit stop for Carlos in Turkish GP.

Not everything went according to plan for Scuderia Ferrari Spanish Carlos Sainz in the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix, despite a flawless race to catch up. Carlos had to start from the back of the grid at Istanbul Park given the fact that the Maranello team changed his power unit and run the upgraded version which Ferrari is successfully testing in this final stage of the 2021 Formula One season.

After a great recovery race in the first part, Carlos Sainz was called in to change the intermediate tyres with a fresh set for the final phase of the Turkish Grand Prix. During the pit stop, however, the Spaniard stood for 8.1 seconds. In retrospect, that cost him two positions at the end of the race and most importantly the chance to catch and attempt an overtaking move on Lando Norris, which would have allowed Scuderia Ferrari to recover more points against McLaren, the direct opponent in the fight for third place in the 2021 Formula 1 Constructor Standings.

The slow stop threw him back behind Esteban Ocon, and Carlos lost more precious time behind the Alpine driver.

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Mattia Binotto explained the pit stop issue as follows: “The pit stop itself was within the normal time. But then the manual release that turns the light green was not registered by the system. Therefore, there was no clearance. That caused the delay. We have to investigate why that was the case” – the Ferrari boss said, as reported by leading German automobile magazine Auto Motor Sport at the end of the Turkish Grand Prix.

Carlos Sainz did not dwell on the only problem in an otherwise spotlessly clean race for him at Istanbul Park: “Today is not a day to regret anything. I had good speed, I overtook well and minimized the damage caused by starting from the back row.” – he confirmed.