Max Verstappen was given extra breathing space to control Saturday’s sprint race after Leclerc and Sainz were compromised by an intense fight for the second in the first laps.
After such a close battle on turn 4 that Sainz lost ground, Leclerc was able to run outdoors in his pursuit of the leader.
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After the race, Leclerc said the team cannot afford to repeat the battle if it wants to beat the Red Bull driver in Sunday’s race.
The Mercedes boss said he thought it was “actually a good call” to let the couple run, adding that team manager Mattia Binotto would have received “even more shit for the team’s orders”.
Wolff said, “No, I think it’s actually a good call, they let them run. That was the only entertainment of this race. So it was good to see.
“Now you can save if you are losing massive ground in Verstappen when you fight for the championship to be taken into account. But in any case, as a team, you are always to blame.
“You let them compete, then everyone will say you’re losing ground against your main competitor, you won’t let them compete, you’re getting even more shit for team orders at this stage of the season.
“So you’re between a rock and a hard place. I know what we would have done … but I wouldn’t say.”
Binotto said that “the fastest car on the track is the one that is prioritized,” but that he was “happy to see these two drivers fight.”
Mattia Binotto, director of the Ferrari team
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
He said: “By maximizing team points, I’m pretty sure we’re maximizing riders’ chances by eliminating points from opponents. Opponents shouldn’t be Charles for Carlos and Carlos for Charles, but for Max, Lewis and all others.
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“This is how we see it, the fastest car on the track is the one that is given priority. We believe that by doing so, certainly, in these moments of the championship, there are things we can do.
“If later in the championship there will be one of the two drivers who has had more opportunities, we will surely try to win the highest priority, but now is not the situation. So we have to deal with it.
“Still, I’m happy to see these two drivers fighting. When there are team orders, everyone blames us because we could have a wrestling match, and let’s go to wrestling, we should have team orders.
“So what you do is always wrong, and remember that 20 years ago here in Austria, I heard the boos from the stands because I was here. It’s always delicate, and every person after the race knows how we have to deal with the situations.
“Again, what we’re trying to do is maximize team points, which I’m pretty sure is the right choice.”