Sainz: “With the gravel in Turn 4 we would have solved everything”

Continues to discuss what happened during lap 48 of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

The seven-time world champion, who started from the tenth position after being forced to retreat five positions on the grid for having adopted the fifth thermal unit, was the author of a furious comeback that took him behind in the second part of the race of the Dutch Red Bull.

Thanks also to a significantly higher top speed, and with the help of the DRS, Hamilton got in the wake of Red Bull number 33 just at the stroke of lap 48 and then tried the attack on the Dutchman outside Turn 4.

Max defended himself with all his weapons, even with a pinch of cunning, and delayed the braking as much as possible to then widen the trajectory and finish wide, but also involving Hamilton in this maneuver.

The two cars raced along the asphalt escape route at full speed and then returned to the track without the race direction putting the incident under investigation.

Hamilton then managed to get the better of the Dutchman 10 laps later, but Mercedes, yesterday, announced that he wanted to exercise the right to review what happened in Turn 4, looking for a penalty against Verstappen in some way.

The climate is hot, but this would never have occurred if gravel instead of asphalt had been present in that escape route. This, at least, is Carlos Sainz’s theory.

“Personally I think this problem would not have arisen if there had been an escape route with gravel at the exit of Curva 4”, said the Spaniard from Ferrari who finished the San Paolo Grand Prix in sixth position behind Charles Leclerc.

“I think you also saw how on the first lap some cars – including us – went wide in that corner. If there had been a gravel escape route, no one would have gone there.”

“If the escape routes weren’t paved, but there was gravel, there would no longer be any problem for the stewards, for Michael [Masi, direttore di gara FIA], for Lewis, for Max or for us. “

The demand from pilots to reintroduce gravel escape route is not new. In the past, on several occasions, the debate has heated up. Sainz, however, hopes that at least on the Brazilian track it can be resolved given that the MotoGP does not make a stop on this circuit.

“We are continuing to ask for more gravel escape routes,” he added. “We hope that in the future, especially on a track like San Paolo where MotoGP does not race, this request will be accepted because in this way we would never brake so late in Turn 4.”