F1 Spa, Sainz ko at the start
Formally Carlos’s Spa race Sainz it lasted 23 laps. Basically, however, the Spanish GP ended in turn 1: a contact with Oscar Piastri, with the Australian who tried to surprise the Ferrari driver inside La Source, proved to be fatal for both. Sainz’s SF-23, closed at the start in the “sandwich” between the McLaren driver and Lewis Hamilton, reported a gash in the right side which compromised performance and pace. And, considering Charles Leclerc’s podium, it is reasonable to assume that the #55 had the potential to compete for the podium with his teammate and Lewis Hamilton: it is normal for him to leave the Belgian circuit with a lot of disappointment.
Sainz’s words
“It’s a shame because the pace was there today and we saw it with Charles throughout the weekend too: it was a shame we didn’t have the opportunity to race. In turn 1, an accident like this bothers you. The pace was there throughout the weekend even with the intermediate tyres, we went strong in the dry compared to the last two weekends, and this makes us optimistic to continue like this also in the second half of the World Championship. Charles had Hamilton under control todaywhich we have not been able to do in the last two races“, these are his words collected by our correspondent at Spa Carlo Platella.
The accident in curve-1
“I didn’t get off to a bad start, I tried to overtake Hamilton at turn 1. I had also passed it, but Oscar’s is an error of experience. If you look at the last 7-8 years here, everyone who tries to go inside turn 1 crashes, but I don’t want to accuse anyone or blame Oscar“, added a Sky Sports F1. “It was a racing accident and this time it was my turn“.
🇧🇪Not what we wanted today. Racing incident, but Oscar was too optimistic. He was never side by side and that move has never really worked in Spa. Congrats to the team and Charles on an encouraging result. We’ll keep pushing after the break!
👉https://t.co/wGypDLZBfM pic.twitter.com/LNAmaHhL4x
— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) July 30, 2023
Half of the GP with the “torn” Ferrari
Sainz played more than half the race with a considerable hole in the right side. Despite losing a lot of time, the Spaniard stayed on track. After the race he explained why: “A red flag would have allowed us to fix the car, and there would have been an opportunity with possible rain, it was a shame we didn’t have that chance. It bothers me a lot that I didn’t get back into the fight today because the car seemed to be stronger“.
#Spa #Sainz #Piastri #lacked #experience