Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko has quipped that Carlos Sainz sent Ferrari a \u201cbelated farewell gift\u201d by bringing out the virtual safety car at last weekend\u2019s Mexican Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
His comments came after the VSC cost Max Verstappen the chance to pass Charles Leclerc\u2019s Ferrari for second place.<\/p>\n
Helmut Marko: Carlos Sainz sent Ferrari \u2018belated farewell gift\u2019 with Mexico VSC<\/p>\n
McLaren driver Lando Norris reclaimed the lead of the F1 2025 standings by collecting his sixth victory of the season in Mexico last weekend.<\/p>\n
Norris holds a one-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri ahead of the final four rounds, with reigning four-time world champion Verstappen 36 points behind.<\/p>\n
After qualifying a disappointing fifth, Verstappen was applying pressure on Leclerc for second place at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez when the virtual safety car was deployed for an incident involving Sainz.<\/p>\n
Analysis: Mexican Grand Prix<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc49\u00a0Mexican GP conclusions: Big Norris chance, Verstappen illusion, new Hamilton document incoming<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0Mexico City Grand Prix driver ratings: Norris leads perfect 10s; Sainz sorrow<\/a><\/p>\n Sainz had spun his Williams and hit the wall at the stadium section, with the Spaniard recovering to an opening in the barrier.<\/p>\n Although the decision to deploy the VSC was considered controversial by some fans, it emerged after the race that Sainz\u2019s car was still in an exposed position<\/a> and was producing smoke, necessitating a safety-first approach.<\/p>\n Sainz joined Williams at the start of 2025 after four seasons at Ferrari, with which he claimed all four of his F1 career victories.<\/p>\n And Marko has quipped that Sainz\u2019s role in the VSC was a late farewell present to Ferrari, ending Verstappen\u2019s hopes of taking second spot from Leclerc.<\/p>\n He told Sky Germany: \u201cMax had such a great comeback. He was five or six tenths faster on average.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were 100 per cent convinced that he would still manage second place, but Sainz gave Ferrari a belated farewell gift.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Carlos Sainz and Williams from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Carlos Sainz news<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Williams news<\/a><\/p>\n Speaking after the race, Sainz insisted that he was consciously trying to avoid a safety car or VSC by recovering his car to a safe place.<\/p>\n And he revealed that Williams had been planning to retire his car even before the spin after an eventful race, which saw him hit with two separate penalties for speeding in the pit lane.<\/p>\n