The team now returns to base for one more week of work prior to the mandatory summer break. The
championship resumes with the Belgian Grand Prix on 28 August.
Carlos Sainz #55
Today was a tough day for the whole team. We expected to have a strong pace for the race, but it’s clear
that with these lower temperatures and track conditions we were simply not fast enough to fight.
There are some things to look at and learn from today. We will regroup, analyse and come back stronger
after the summer break.
Charles Leclerc #16
It’s a shame we didn’t bring home a better result, because the car felt good and we had a strong pace on
Medium tyres today. Unfortunately, the Hards just did not work in these conditions.
We now need to see what we could have done better, recharge our batteries over the break and be ready to
fight in the second part of the season.
Mattia Binotto, Team Principal & Managing Director
Today’s result is unsatisfactory. In general, we did not perform well, with the car unable to reproduce
Friday’s pace and in terms of how we managed the strategy and pit stops. Analysing every aspect of this
race is our top priority over the coming days, in order to prepare as well as possible for the remaining
Grands Prix.
Frédéric Vasseur, Alfa Romeo Team Principal
“A day that promised much at its beginning left us disappointed in the end. The start put us on the back
foot, losing five places with both cars and setting up a tough afternoon to recover some points. Valtteri was
able to break into the top ten and was there until the closing stages, but in the end a fuel system issue
meant he had to retire with a couple of laps to go. Zhou’s afternoon was also compromised at the start, he
was able to recover to 13th in the end but, as a team, we hoped for a lot more. It is a shame after the good
performance we delivered in qualifying yesterday, but we now have a summer break to understand what
went wrong and come back into the points for the final three European races of the season at the end of
summer.”
Valtteri Bottas #77 C42 (Chassis 01/Ferrari)
“It was tricky again today, a bit like in France, as the hard tires didn't build up as fast as I was hoping. We
tried it, we thought that was going to be the best chance for us, but ultimately it wasn’t. We committed to a
one-stop strategy, and it was hard to back out of it. On top of that, a few laps before the end I had to stop
the car because of a technical issue, which was a shame. I just lost power, we do not know the details yet:
obviously it's unfortunate and we will investigate it with the team, but I still think points seemed quite
unlikely. I am looking forward to enjoying the summer break now, to recharge and come back full of energy
for the second half of the season.”
Zhou Guanyu #24 C42 (Chassis 02/Ferrari)
“Conditions today weren’t a threat per se, they were a bit mixed, especially a little more slippery on the last
few laps, but overall okay. I think our plan today didn’t really pay off, we struggled on lap one and on the first
few laps losing ground to other cars, and as going for one stop didn’t work out, we had to do an extra one
which put me on the back of the field. It was quite frustrating, as it compromised my chances. Besides this,
I think we had a strong pace today, and we deserved a little more, as in terms of performances we seemed
to be back to where we were around Silverstone. I learned a lot so far this season, it’s been both tough and
enjoyable, and there’s still much room for improvement. It feels good to have a little break now, and
hopefully come back even stronger and push for better results.”
A few drops of rain, temperatures 19° air; 26° track.
Start
At the start Carlos and Charles kept their second and third places with the Spaniard trying to pass George
Russell, but had to slip in behind him. On the second lap, the Virtual Safety Car was called because of
debris at turn 2.
Lap 16
Russell changes tyres, so that Sainz leads from Leclerc.
Lap 17
Carlos pits, taking on another set of Mediums. The stop is 3.7 seconds and he comes out behind Fernando
Alonso in seventh place. Charles leads.
Lap 20
Hamilton also pits. Leclerc leads from Russell and Sainz.
Lap 21
Charles comes in for Mediums, rejoining second ahead of Carlos and behind Russell.
Lap 31
After a three lap duel, Charles attacks and passes Russell to lead the race.
Lap 40
Charles pits for Hards and rejoins third. Sainz leads, while Max Verstappen passes Leclerc. The Dutchman
then spins and Charles is back in front.
Lap 47
Carlos pits for Soft tyres, rejoining fifth behind Russell.
Lap 53
Russell passes Charles who stops for Soft tyres.
Lap 54
Charles pits and takes on Softs.
Lap 63
Hamilton passes Carlos who drops to fourth, while Charles is sixth.
Finish
At the flag, Verstappen wins from Hamilton and Russell. Carlos is fourth and Charles sixth.
Pos R# Driver Team Chassis Time
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