Ted Kravitz has been angered by Christian Horner’s criticism of defending Carlos Sainz at the Italian Grand Prix after all he’s getting paid for it.
Red Bull were unhappy with Sainz’s defense first against Max Verstappen and then Sergio Perez at Monza on Sunday as the Ferrari driver was on the limit trying to keep the two Red Bull drivers at bay.
He lost both fights and dropped to third at Ferrari’s home race, while Verstappen took his tenth straight race win and Perez scored Red Bull’s sixth one-two of the season.
Ted Kravitz hits back: Carlos Sainz’s life depended on it
Even though Horner won the fight, he was still not impressed with Sainz’s antics.
“There were a few comments,” said the Red Bull team boss. “Carlos was very robust, he was sometimes a little late, he moved a bit.”
“But,” he added, “he drives a Ferrari, in Monza he will fight for his life.”
Kravitz advises the Red Bull boss that Sainz is being paid to do just that.”
“I was thinking about that comment Christian Horner made when he said Sainz defends like his life depends on it… if Horner meant that in a kind of nervous way, that’s not cool,” the pit lane reporter said in his Ted’s post-race notebook.
“Because you know what? His life depended on it, Carlos Sainz’s life depended on it.
“He had absolutely every right to defend himself against Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and anyone else who passed him today or tried to pass him like his life depended on it because that’s what they get paid for.”
Sainz started the Grand Prix on pole position and led the first 14 laps of the 51-lap Italian Grand Prix before being passed by Verstappen.
The Dutchman pursued him lap after lap, trying to pass the first chicane before finally coming through and coming out on top in a short wheel-to-wheel battle through the Curva Grande, which ended with a nice maneuver through the Della Roggia emerged chicanery.
Perez gave Red Bull a one-two with a late-race pass. Sainz then edged team-mate Charles Leclerc to secure his first podium of the season at Ferrari’s home race.
“Monza expected, Monza hoped, the tifosi thought it could happen, and for 15 laps it could have happened,” Kravitz added.
“Ferrari threw everything at this race – they put new engines, they put a special Monza wing, they ran their engines harder than they normally would have – Ferrari threw everything but they didn’t make it. “In the end, they could only fight among themselves.
“Carlos Sainz made it onto the podium with flying colors. He deserved it and he didn’t want to give it up.”
As for the battle between the Ferrari team-mates in the final laps of the race, he summed it up by saying: “They tried, they came, they fought among themselves, they almost fell but it didn’t happen, and they finished third and…” Fourth went to Ferrari. Charles Leclerc would not give in.”
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Verstappen’s victory was not only his twelfth of the season but also his tenth in a row, a new record for most consecutive Formula One victories.
Kravitz broke the record set by Sebastian Vettel in 2013 when he was still a Red Bull driver. He believes Red Bull has arrived at Monza, knowing it’s ‘now’ or ‘possibly never’. That’s how great Verstappen’s performance is.
“They made history,” Kravitz said, “and they were right about what was said at the start of the weekend that as soon as you got here there was a certain element of having to do it now.”
“You have to win, if you’re Red Bull, if you’re Max Verstappen, you have to get your tenth win now, because if you don’t do that, the next win could be a long time coming.”
The Dutchman, who is 145 points clear of Perez in the drivers’ standings, is aiming to extend his record to 11 in Singapore.
Continue reading: Italian Grand Prix conclusions: Ominous Max, Ferrari’s new ‘Redprint’, Hamilton’s clumsiness
Source : www.planetf1.com