Carlos Sainz claimed his debut F1 victory in what proved to be a very eventful British Grand Prix. Following a huge first-lap incident involving Zhou Guanyu, the race was red-flagged for nearly an hour before getting back underway. Pole-sitter Sainz lost out on the lead to Max Verstappen in the early stages, but Verstappen soon found himself struggling with damage to his car, enabling Sainz to retake P1. There was some swapping of positions for the Ferrari drivers, resulting in Charles Leclerc becoming the race leader, before a late Safety Car threw everything up in the air. The Scuderia opted to pit Sainz but leave Leclerc out on track, meaning that the Monegasque was left vulnerable to Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton at the race restart, both of whom had fresher rubber. Sainz took victory, while Leclerc was left down in fourth, a sequence of events that has led to plenty of reaction amongst various international media outlets.
"How can you ask Leclerc to stay calm?"
In the Italian media, the Gazzetta dello Sport did not hold back in its criticism of Ferrari. "Leclerc is punished by the people at the pit wall. Sainz is celebrating, but the Leclerc situation is exploding," the outlet wrote. Team boss Mattia Binotto was seen speaking to Leclerc immediately after the race, and has since revealed that he told the driver to "stay calm". "How can you ask Leclerc to stay calm?" the publication added. "He could win for the first time since Australia, but just like in Monaco Ferrari went wrong with their tactics. So Ferrari are missing out on points and barely benefiting from Max Verstappen's problems. "It is totally unclear whether Ferrari is focusing on one driver or still betting on two horses."
Ferrari's priorities questioned
British publication the BBC also raised questioned about Ferrari's priorities, with Leclerc being ahead of Sainz in the World Championship standings. "As the British Grand Prix unfolded, and Ferrari made a series of decisions that would have been unexpected – perhaps even unimaginable – if their rivals Red Bull had been in the same position, many people were asking themselves whether Ferrari had their priorities straight," they wrote. Suggesting that Leclerc could have gained 19 points on Verstappen rather than the six that he eventually took, the BBC expect further attention to be brought to the Italian team's strategy choices. "Leclerc might not want Ferrari's decision-making to be a headline, but there is no way that it cannot be after what happened at Silverstone, where they made a series of calls that caused more than one observer to remark that it looked like they were actively trying to lose Leclerc the race and the championship," they stated.
Praise for a "reinvigorated" Hamilton and Mercedes
French outlet L'Equipe added to criticism of the Scuderia, having accused the team of "ruining" Leclerc's chances. However, they also added a note of praise for Hamilton and Mercedes, with the seven-time World Champion at times looking in contention for the win. "There was everything in place to make this Grand Prix the milestone that Ferrari needed to rebound and return to the championship," the publication argued. "There was angst, suspense, accidents and giant battles. "For a long time, victory seemed to be promised to Charles Leclerc, capable of resisting the madness of the master of the house, Lewis Hamilton, totally resurrected by circumstances and a reinvigorated Mercedes, but it was the other Scuderia driver who inherited it."
The British GP was "Sainz's day"
In the Spanish media, there was understandably much celebration over Sainz's debut win, and Marca hailed the manner in which the victor conducted himself in the race. "He showed a lot of character and personality by telling the team 'stop inventing' when the Safety Car turned off the lights," they wrote. "Right then and there he won the race at Silverstone. He wanted no jokes. It was his day above all else." The publication was also a little less harsh on Ferrari than some of their international counterparts. "Managing two winning drivers is no easy task. Even less so when one of them is the closest to challenge the almighty Verstappen for the World Championship,' Marca said. They praised the Scuderia for making a decision and putting "the team's points above everything else". One of the biggest heroes of the day for Marca , though, was the Halo, which played a key role in keeping Zhou safe following his huge accident: "Had it not been for this element, so controversial at the time, we might have been talking about a disgrace. "Once again, it proved to be vital for driver safety."
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