Carlos Sainz fires back after George Russell accusation at Mexican Grand Prix

Carlos Sainz says while drivers complain about others moving under braking in an attempt to get their rival in trouble, George Russell “does it a lot”.

Racing for position, possibly even a podium in Mexico, Russell was all over the back of Sainz’s rear wing but wasn’t able to find a way past.

Spending 12 laps attempting to get by the Ferrari, the Briton voiced his frustrations over the radio and accused Sainz of moving under braking.

George Russell complained about Carlos Sainz’s defending in Mexico

这是一个很大的没有在f1可以导致huge accident, as such the stewards will tell the teams to warn their drivers before taking action if it continues.

Sainz, though, is adamant he wasn’t doing anything wrong.

“I was moving once and right before braking which is what the rules allow,” he told the media in Mexico.

“You cannot move under braking but you can move right before braking and that’s what I’m doing.”

The Ferrari driver believes this is a common complaint from Russell in an attempt to get his rival in trouble with the stewards, but he’s not the only one who resorts to such tactics, he just does it often.

“I think it’s the same as always when you’re behind, you open the radio you complain, see if the guy in front gets a warning or a five-second penalty because it benefits you,” he added.

“But I think it’s the same, almost everyone does, George does it a lot.”

PlanetF1.com recommends

Revealed: The most fined drivers and teams on the F1 2023 grid

F1 penalty points: Which drivers are closing in on race bans

Carlos Sainz blames ‘same case the whole year’

Although Ferrari lined up first and second on the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez it was Max Verstappen who led after Turn 1, the Red Bull driver powering his way past Sainz and then pole-sitter Charles Leclerc.

While the Monégasque driver at leastheld on to finish on the podium, Sainz was fourth at the chequered flag and conceded Ferrari just don’t have the race pace to challenge Red Bull.

“It’s been the same case the whole year,” he said.

“The whole year we can fight them in qualy, we can beat them in qualy, but then come the race… two or three-tenths, sometimes one, sometimes four-tenths of pace, sometimes six, it depends on the track.

“It’s s the main weakness of the car and where we are focusing for next year.

“I don’t think we struggled with tyre deg, we just struggled with race pace.”

But having outscored Mercedes on the day, Ferrari are just 22 points behind the Brackley squad in the battle for second place in the车队Championship.

Read next:Ferrari boss blames drivers for ‘losing control’ of Mexican Grand Prix