Carlos Sainz asserted more could have been done to move Daniel Ricciardo's car so racing could resume in the final stages of the Italian Grand Prix.
The McLaren racer's mechanical problem saw him pull over on the track on lap 47, sparking a safety car with just six laps remaining. And it proved to be the end of the competitive action, with Max Verstappen winning without fear of challenge from Charles Leclerc behind him.
Predictably, that did not go down too well with the home fans, who were cheering for a Ferrari win. More than anything, many were frustrated to see what could have been an exciting climax take place behind a safety car, with the race completely neutralised.
Many have suggested that, instead of a safety car, the race should have been stopped altogether with a red flag, so it could be restarted once the track was cleared. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile advocated for the introduction of a new rule which would see laps added on to the end of a race in the event of a safety car.
But Sainz believes none of that would have been necessary had the stricken McLaren been removed from the track more quickly. "If you are there in the position Charles and I were in, you prefer a red flag," he said, per Mundo Deportivo.
"For me, the fair compromise is not having to be there for five or six laps to get a car out. For me, we were too slow to get the car back. I don't know if the race director could have done more.
"Letting the safety car go earlier to get behind Max and Charles... for me, the whole procedure was slow and we have to improve as a sport. The red flag? Yes, it's better for today, for sure, but the fair compromise would be to be quicker to get the car out."
The Spaniard had started from 18th place after taking a back-of-the-grid penalty for new engine parts. But he wasted little time in making his way up the order and eventually finished the race in fourth place.
And he believes it could have been even better, as the data suggested he would have been able to challenge George Russell for a spot on the podium. He added: "I can assure you if I had got there on the last lap I would have attacked, because there was nothing to lose and because I knew after 15 overtakes I knew how to attack and how to brake and what to do."
