10 things we learned from the 2022 British Grand Prix

05.07.2022 - 00:47 / msn.com

Motorsport Images1. Ferrari still hasn’t improved in one key area (AK)While Carlos Sainz scored a popular victory – he was applauded into the post-race press conference by the assembled journalists, where he spoke as eloquently and thoughtfully as ever – Ferrari’s triumph came with a cloud darker than the ones that had sprinkled Silverstone with rain 20 minutes before the first start. This was down to the team orders saga in which the Scuderia found itself entangled once Verstappen had dropped out of contention.

Leclerc, despite a damaged front wing, was lapping on average 0. 3s quicker than Sainz at this phase of the race and wanted to be allowed through. Ferrari’s choice to wait before pitting Sainz helped Lewis Hamilton close in and then when the Mercedes was leading, the red team again opted to give Sainz a chance to up his pace with Leclerc back to running close behind on his hards.

PLUS: The five factors behind Sainz winning a British GP he’d twice lostTo his credit, Sainz let Leclerc through when ordered and displayed his typical nous to recommend establishing a DRS train to try and keep the closing Hamilton behind late on. Even though the late safety car made most of this moot, Leclerc being even further ahead by the time Esteban Ocon retired might’ve meant the next intra-team saga in which Ferrari became embroiled never happened. .

. Ferrari opted to pit Sainz over race leader Leclerc, handing the Spanish driver the advantagePhoto by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images2. Ferrari’s explanation of Leclerc’s safety car strategy is baffling (AK)When race director Niels Wittich called for the safety car’s intervention with Ocon stopped on the National Pits straight approaching Copse, Leclerc was at Stowe.