Why didn’t Ferrari mount medium tyres at restart? Carlos Sainz’s bitter truth | 2023 Mexico GP. Why didn't Ferrari mount medium tyres at Mexico GP restart? Carlos Sainz explains.

Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver Carlos Sainz explained the reason behind the Maranello team’s decision not to use medium tires during the second restart of the 2023 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix, following the race suspension caused by Kevin Magnussen’s accident. The Danish driver suffered a rear-left suspension failure, crashing heavily into the barriers, which inevitably led to a red flag to allow marshals to repair the barriers.

Carlos Sainz explains why Ferrari opted for hard tires on the restart

“It wasn’t a great race,” the Spaniard stated at the end of the Mexican GP. “We clearly saw that something is missing in the race compared to Red Bull and Mercedes. It becomes difficult to keep up with them. We managed to stay ahead of Russell, but it was impossible with Hamilton.” – he explained.

Throughout the Mexican Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz struggled not only to match the pace of his direct rivals but also that of his teammate, Charles Leclerc, who raced for half the event with a damaged front wing following the contact at the start with Sergio Perez.

However, Sergio Sainz seemed more comfortable during the restart after the red flag, successfully keeping George Russell at bay, thanks to the high straight-line speed of the SF23. The Spaniard then managed the final stint, crossing the finish line in fourth place.

“It’s true; the first stint with the mediums was tough as it was already damaged during the formation lap,” Carlos Sainz added. “I had to lift quite a bit due to engine temperatures. After the second stint, we corrected the balance, and with the hards, we were a bit faster, but nothing special.”

Finally, when asked why they didn’t choose to restart with medium tires like Lewis Hamilton did, Carlos Sainz candidly admitted: “The issue is that Mercedes can afford it because they make their tires last longer than we do. If we start with the mediums, we won’t make it to the end. That’s the possibility they have and we don’t. We’re trying to improve for next year with different characteristics of the car. This year’s car doesn’t have the same flexibility as the Mercedes.” – the Spanish driver concluded following the race which was held at the 4.304-kilometre Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.

Source: f1ingenerale