Formula 1 Miami GP
Sainz "could have won" F1 Miami GP by pitting one lap later
Ferrari Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz believes he could have won the Miami Grand Prix had he pitted one lap later than he did.
Pablo Elizalde
Edited: May 7, 2024, 12:44 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
McLaren driver Lando Norris took his maiden grand prix win after he benefitted from the safety-car period following a crash between Haas' Kevin Magnussen and Logan Sargeant in the Williams on lap 28 of the race.
Norris was the last of the frontrunners to pit, and managed to do so under safety-car conditions, meaning he emerged ahead of Max Verstappen to keep the lead.
Sainz was running in front of Norris but had pitted a lap earlier, under race conditions, dropping to fifth by the time the accident occurred.
Had Ferrari waited another lap, Sainz feels he would have emerged in the lead with a shot at winning the race.
"Frustrated, because we were ahead of him before that pitstop before the safety car," said Sainz of his race.
"If we would have extended one more lap, we would've caught the safety car and we could have won the race too."
Watch: F1 2024 Miami GP Review - Lando Seizes his Historic Maiden Win
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur acknowledged the poor timing of the safety car, and joked that he "forgot the crystal ball".
He said: "I was not aware that Sargeant and Magnussen would crash the lap after! Of course, when you are in this situation, you are a bit unlucky – or I would say probably that Lando was a bit lucky, because he was the only one on track.
"But more than this, I think it's the fact that they put the safety car in front of Verstappen. They're so used to have Verstappen leading the pack that they send the safety car in front of him!
"The safety car was quite slow, and it was a very good move at the end for Lando."
Read Also:
Sainz went on to finish fourth on track but was demoted to fifth by a penalty for his clash with Norris' team-mate Oscar Piastri.
The duo made contact as Sainz dived down the inside of Turn 17 on lap 39, the Spaniard seemingly losing the rear of his car and hitting the front of the McLaren.
Although Piastri fought back over the next corners, the Australian went off track at the end of the start/finish straight and had to concede his position.
Sainz was handed a five-second penalty after the race, dropping behind Piastri in the final results.
The Ferrari driver said he had to resort to an aggressive dive because he could not match the top speed of the McLaren on the straights.
"I realised it was time to be aggressive because everyone was being aggressive today," Sainz said before his penalty was announced. "And if I needed to get a move on Oscar, you could see that we were struggling on the straights, this meant that I needed to send one down the inside. I did it.
"And good pace towards the end, catching the guys in front, Max and Charles, but it was too late. I lost much time with Oscar."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article McLaren defends itself over “lucky charm” Trump F1 appearance
Next article 10 things we learned from the 2024 F1 Miami Grand Prix
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Pablo Elizalde
Alpine becomes Pramac's main partner in MotoGP
MotoGP
MotoGP
Alpine becomes Pramac's main partner in MotoGP
Liberty Media's $4bn MotoGP deal facing EU probe
MotoGP
MotoGP
Liberty Media's $4bn MotoGP deal facing EU probe
Ocon wants answers to understand pace slump against Alpine team-mate
Formula 1
Formula 1
Ocon wants answers to understand pace slump against Alpine team-mate
More from
Carlos Sainz
What the Brazilian GP revealed about F1's ability to cope with rain
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
What the Brazilian GP revealed about F1's ability to cope with rain
Williams has better cooling vests than anyone – Alex Albon
Formula 1
Formula 1
Williams has better cooling vests than anyone – Alex Albon
More from
Ferrari
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Latest news
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 9 h
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 9 h
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
11 h
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
13 h
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe