Verstappen, who controlled the early stages of the race on Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, made his second and final pitstop with 27 laps to go, handing the lead to Sainz.
Six laps later, by which time the Dutchman had narrowed the gap to Sainz down to just under eight seconds, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda went off coming out of the pits.
After a long delay, the local yellow was directly converted into a full-blown safety car just as Sainz was nearing the pit entry, which Binotto revealed lead to a frantic last-second call from Ferrari to bring the Spaniard in for hard yres.
If the safety car had come out seconds later and Sainz had missed his opportunity to pit, he would have likely fallen into the clutches of both Verstappen and third-placed Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, who both had much fresher tyres.
Binotto said he was proud of how both the team and the driver reacted to the timing of the safety car call but felt race control could have made the decision much more swiftly once it was apparent Tsunoda’s car was going nowhere.
“I think it took very long to decide for the safety car and at that moment Carlos was leading the race, and I think that the safety car has been [deployed] when he was just at the end of the main straight coming to the last corner,” Binotto explained.
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75, in the pits
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
“The team has been very, very good in reacting and the driver himself as well to come into the pits. I think we had only one second to react and we reacted within one second.
“Without that good reaction, it would have been a very difficult and bad situation for Carlos, and I think again here, we need sharper decisions [by race control]. It took very long to decide.”
While Sainz’s hard tyres were past their best at that stage, his track position advantage over Verstappen meant he would have likely stayed out otherwise, until Ferrari’s hand was forced by the safety car.
But Binotto did admit the team had already been looking at covering Sainz against Hamilton, who was also showing rapid pace in the Mercedes.
When asked how the race would have played out without the late neutralisation, Binotto said: “It’s difficult to judge. We know that in order to defend he should have been very fast on track, at least a 17.4, 17.3 on a single lap because Max was very fast behind. It would have been very close.
“We were even there judging if should we stay on track or pit simply to protect as well from Lewis, who had fresh tyres as well and was very fast behind, so we were monitoring very close the situation.
“It’s very difficult to judge and to say how the race would have finished without the final safety car.”
Verstappen suffered F1 radio failure ahead of Canada restart
10 things we learned from the 2022 F1 Canadian Grand Prix
Alonso drops to ninth after Canadian GP F1 weaving penalty
Sainz “didn’t leave an inch to the walls” fighting Verstappen
The art of compromise an F1 race engineer has to master
Traction, not top speed, kept Verstappen ahead of Sainz – Horner
Sainz: ‘Sending it’ at final corner cost me P2 to Alonso in F1 qualifying
Can Ferrari maintain its F1 title push?
10 things we learned from the 2022 F1 Canadian Grand Prix
Ferrari reveals frantic last-second F1 call behind Sainz pitstop in Canada
Verstappen suffered F1 radio failure ahead of Canada restart
Norris: McLaren’s strong F1 days aren’t “genuine pace”
Why “faster” Ferrari couldn’t beat Red Bull in Canadian GP
On paper the Canadian Grand Prix will go down as Max Verstappen’s latest triumph, fending off late pressure from Carlos Sainz to extend his Formula 1 world championship lead. But as safety car periods, virtual and real, shook up the race Ferrari demonstrated it can take the fight to Red Bull after recent failures.
Canadian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Plenty of high scores but just a single perfect 10 from the first Montreal race in three years, as Max Verstappen fended off late pressure from Carlos Sainz. Here’s Autosport’s assessment on the Formula 1 drivers from the Canadian Grand Prix
The in-demand helmet designer creating works of art for F1’s best
GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV pays a visit to designer Jens Munser, to observe the production of Mick Schumacher’s special helmet for the Miami Grand Prix. What follows is some fascinating insight on the mindsets of Mick’s dad Michael, and family friend Sebastian Vettel
How F1’s ingenious ignition revolution brought an instant power boost
Former Mercedes powertrains boss Andy Cowell used to say “it all starts with the bonfire”. PAT SYMONDS explains how clever ignition technology delivered a massive advantage
The long-run F1 data that offers Ferrari hope in Canada
Max Verstappen headed both Canadian Grand Prix practice sessions, as Charles Leclerc faces a 10-place grid penalty after his Baku blowout. Although those signs point to Red Bull dominating the Formula 1 proceedings in Montreal, Ferrari can bring itself into play if it can deliver on the promise of its long runs.
Why “unfair” F1 porpoising rule change needs to be looked at
With the considerable levels of bouncing experienced at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, drivers have called for changes to ease the stress on their backs. But equally, the Formula 1 teams with cars less susceptible to it are unlikely to accept any differences in the rules, feeling it punishes those who got the 2022 regs right. Both sides to the argument have merit – and the FIA must find a middle ground
Where a key Leclerc strength is obscuring the true nature of F1 2022
OPINION: After clinching pole in Baku, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc ended the first third of Formula 1 2022 with six poles to one each for his Red Bull rivals. But this doesn’t reflect important traits differentiating the season’s leading cars – here’s why.
Would Leclerc have won in Baku had his Ferrari survived?
Charles Leclerc’s second engine problem in three races meant Max Verstappen had a free run to claim his fifth win of the 2022 Formula 1 season. Whether Leclerc would have been able to repel the Red Bull driver’s charge on much older tyres is a question we’ll never know the answer to. However, there are some clues from the in-race data that we can infer from
