Sainz ‘misinterpreted his Ferrari role’ in Monaco

Red Bull are the big winners in Monaco

Ferrari cost themselves the race win

Mercedes take small steps backwards again

Carlos Sainz over-estimated his importance at the Monaco GP with F1 journalist Giorgio Terruzzi saying his job was to help Charles Leclerc, not go for the win.

In the end neither Ferrari driver stood on the top step of the podium.

After years of misery at his home grand prix, Sunday was supposed to be Leclerc’s redemption day with the championship hopeful lining up on pole position ahead of his team-mate.

It went horribly wrong for the Monégasque driver when he made two pit stops in the space of three laps, first for intermediates and then for slicks where he had to double-stack behind Sainz.

That dropped him behind both Red Bulls and his team-mate, who earlier had refused to stop for intermediates, which could have possibly covered Sergio Perez, instead holding on until it was dry enough to swap straight to slicks.

Perez got the jump on them all, racing to the victory ahead of Sainz and Max Verstappen with Leclerc off the podium in fourth place.

“Sainz decided the strategy on his own,” Terruzzi wrote in Corriere della Sera. “These are choices on which the feelings of the drivers weigh a lot.

“The fact is that Carlos was not racing to win but to protect Leclerc.

“He smelled the opportunity he has always been waiting for, he wanted to dare, he thought he should have won.

“Instead, his move sent everyone on a tilt where tactics are decided, without even bringing home the consolation of seeing the second Ferrari driver on the top step of the podium.

“Therefore, it was a misinterpretation of the driver. Not so much on the tyres but on his role within Ferrari, in a season that is entirely on Leclerc’s