Ferrari had placed high expectations on Carlos Sainz Jr.’s race, especially after the good pole obtained on Saturday at the Austin track. On the other hand, Madrid’s United States Grand Prix lasted even less than a breath.
Ready to go, time to see Max Verstappen’s Red Bull RB18 number 1 on his left and set up a draft reaction out of the first corner and everything is over. Almost even before starting.
Sainz was rammed by George Russell’s Mercedes, engaged – together with Lewis Hamilton – to attack the Ferrari driver at the first corner. Russell came visibly long at the braking and ended up hitting Ferrari number 55.
Carlos, completely innocent, turned around and let all the cars pass, and then tried to resume the race. It was useless to stop in the pits to eventually mount the hard tires and change strategy: the F1-75 was permanently damaged in contact with Mercedes, so the 28-year-old was forced to retire.
“I am very angry and disappointed,” said Sainz at the end of his race, which lasted a few hundred meters. “Second race in a row without taking a lap, without running. Today I was in battle with Max and I was thrown out by someone who wasn’t fighting with us. It’s really frustrating.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W13, the rest of the cars at the start
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
For hitting Sainz, Russell received a 5 second penalty. Sainz thus answered the question of whether he considered the penalty imposed on George right for what happened at the first corner.
“If we compare the penalty given to Russell with other dates in other situations I think it is not enough. However, I do not want to evaluate the penalties of the FIA”.
“We have never seen accidents like this in the first three-four positions, because normally the first four don’t make certain kinds of mistakes. It’s really that simple.”
Although Sainz’s Ferrari did not appear excessively damaged by contact with Russell, Carlos was forced to stop immediately. Despite the few apparent damage, a radiator was damaged under the bodywork: “I retired due to damage to the radiator.”
What caused the inconvenience at the start, however, was a departure below expectations. Or rather, Sainz started more or less on a par with the Mercedes. It was Verstappen, on the other hand, who showed a surprising idea, with which he immediately took the first position of the grand prix then won.
“We know that we have a problem at the start with this car. Then from the second box of the grid in Austin we start better than from pole for reasons that we do not understand. But I didn’t start badly, I started like the Mercedes. It’s Max who is party much stronger than all, “concluded Sainz.
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