Carlos Sainz has heaped praise on Ferrari’s strategic team after their impressive performance at the Canadian Grand Prix, which allowed them to remain in the fight for P2 in the Constructors’ Standings.
Qualifying turned into a nightmare for Sainz, as he could only manage the eighth-fastest time in Q3, while his teammate Charles Leclerc settled for 11th place.
Sainz’s woes deepened when he received a three-place grid penalty for impeding rivals during a wet session on Saturday, pushing him further down the starting grid.
Ferrari’s strategy team has faced criticism in recent years due to several errors that have resulted in their cars falling down the order.
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However, their decision not to pit under an early Safety Car at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve proved to be a stroke of genius as both Sainz and Leclerc secured fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively.
“It was evident that we had more pace than where we qualified,” Sainz said.
“It felt like we could have had some fun at the front if we had started there, but we had a solid pace, a solid strategy, and we managed to bring home fourth and fifth.”
During the race, Ferrari requested Sainz to pit earlier than originally planned, but the Spaniard declined the call and instead extended his stint on the Medium compound tyre.
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Sainz applauded the tactics employed by the Scuderia, stating: “We definitely executed a very good strategy.
“Staying out with both cars was the right decision. The Medium tyre performed well on our car throughout the weekend since Friday, and I was able to maximise its potential during the stint.
“We had confidence in the Medium compound based on our performance in FP2. We committed to it, knowing that the harder tyres can be a bit trickier on our car.”