In Singapore, Carlos Sainz deliberately let his rival Lando Norris get closer to him to use him as a 'DRS buffer' against Mercedes. In Japan, the Mercedes drivers tried the same thing to keep Sainz behind. The Ferrari driver sees the humour in it.
Sainz already showed that during the race. Lewis Hamilton reduced speed to allow George Russell into his DRS. This gave Russell a little more speed and increased his chances of successfully defending against the advancing Sainz. In the end, the Mercedes drivers' tactics were to no avail. However, Sainz did find it a comical moment during the race.
Sainz could laugh at Mercedes's tactics
Over the team radio, Sainz said, "They use my own trick against me. But that doesn't matter. I'll still catch Hamilton." After the race, the Spaniard was asked about the moment. Express.com quotes Sainz: "Yeah, I found it [funny], actually. I was laughing in the car because I could see Lewis backing off in 130R to give the DRS to George."
Sainz: "And I was like, I need to make sure I attack George into the chicane. If I don't throw him offline, it's going to be impossible to pass them. And I went very deep into the chicane, managed to get a bit of a switchback, and then I used the DRS, slipstream on everything to pass him. It was good fun. And yeah, it nearly cost me my own position with my own tricks."
