Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr, who came third to Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton on Sunday, described the situation as 'unfair' on his radio during the race.
The fall out from Verstappen's first Formula One driver's world championship title has continued since Sunday, with the controversy surrounding the win still unravelling.
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On Monday, Hamilton's reaction at the time was revealed, with the Mercedes driver's only radio message showing that he felt the situation had been 'manipulated.'
The seven time world champion wasn't the only one who wasn't happy either, with Sainz's own message to his team on lapt 54 revealing the Spanish driver's frustration, claiming the decision to race again was 'unfair.'
Sainz was the other man whose whole race could have been ruined by the decision to allow some drivers to unlap themselves but not others, along with Hamilton.
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Originally the decision from the stewards, and race director Michael Masi, seemed to be that there would be no racing and the grand prix would end behind the safety car.
However he then changed his mind and allowed the out of position cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves, putting the two title rivals side by side at the restart.
Sainz though was running in third and wasn't given the same grace, instead leaving lapped cars ahead of him who then had to get out of his way, whilst he also had to keep the cars behind him at bay.
The Ferrari driver managed to hold to his third place and get on the podium, meaning he finished fifth in the title, but in normal circumstances, with all the cars unlapping themselves, would have had a chance to fight for the race win.
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Speaking after the race, the 27-year-old described the decision as 'strange.' "It was certainly a very strange situation for me," the former McLaren driver said.
"I was obviously battling with Valtteri [Bottas] and the Alpha Tauris behind with medium tyres while I was on very used hard tyres.
"At the beginning, I was told they would not be allowed to un-lap themselves, the group in front of me, then it was decided to un-lap themselves and some people un-lapped themselves but there was still, I think, an Aston Martin and a McLaren, Ricciardo, between the two leaders and myself.
"I’ve never had it before, having to restart the race with these two guys in front of me while fighting for a P3.
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"I believe it was a strange one and something to look at because it was just very strange to see and it nearly cost me a podium, to be honest."
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/PATopics: Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen
