Sainz had raced third in the opening stages of the 72-lap race ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s charging Mercedes, before the Ferrari driver’s race went into the pits.
In order to combat Hamilton’s high pace on the medium tyres, Ferrari opted to react by calling Sainz to the pits to try and maintain their position on the track.
However, the call was made as Sainz was in the final corner, resulting in a disastrous pit stop, as Ferrari’s pit crew had failed to prepare a left rear tire in time.
The long stop dropped Sainz into the bottom end of the top 10 when he finally rejoined the race.
Asked to explain Sainz’s pit stop, which Binotto called a “mess” at the time, the Ferrari boss said: “On the first [stop] what we did was we knew Lewis [Hamilton] was preparing for a pit stop that could have undermined us.
“We tried to react just to stay ahead of him, which was the best way to keep our position, because we knew Lewis was very quick in the first stint of the race.
“When we saw the Mercedes pit crew in the pit lane, we called our pit driver but that was when he was in the last corner and it was too late for the mechanics to be ready. was too late as an appeal based on our judgment.”
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB18, Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522
Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images
Sainz would eventually reach the checkered flag in fifth before being demoted to eighth after being hit with a five-second penalty late in the race for a dangerous exit during his second pit stop.
Binotto believes the decision to issue a penalty was ‘very harsh’ as his driver only held off Fernando Alonso’s oncoming Alpine because of the positioning of the McLaren mechanics who were dealing with Lando Norris in the stand in front of him.
“On the second with the dangerous exit and the penalties which cost Carlos dearly, I think the decision of the FIA and the stewards is very harsh,” he added.
“The reason is that when he came in, McLaren was passing and we handled Carlos in the pit, in the pit position, because we knew it would have been dangerous to release him at that time.
“We waited and waited to have the right space with the arrival of the Alpine and that’s why we released it.
“After that he had to slow down and almost had to stop because the McLaren pit crew was going around the [Norris] car, and to be safe with the mechanics, he almost stopped with the anti-stall engaged.
“The release itself wasn’t dangerous, it was safe. The way Carlos acted was safe, that’s why I think the overall decision was tough.”
