Toro Rosso stalwart Carlos Sainz was left wondering what may have been after an engine hitch meant that his car’s Renault power unit “just switched off” before he could even take his starting position on the grid. Last year’s Formula Renault 3.5 champion looked set for a promising Grand Prix, expecting to line up tenth alongside teammate Max Verstappen on an alternative strategy. However, Sainz appeared to stall at the end of the pit exit on his lap to the grid. The Spaniard had to be taken back to his mechanics, who managed to prepare the 21-year old to start the race from the pit lane, but to no avail as they saw their man grind to a halt in the climb up to the ‘Ferradura’.
After the race, Sainz spoke of his eagerness to race and frustration concerning his luck, or rather, lack thereof.
“How frustrating not to even be able to start the race! I went to do the first practice start on the way to the grid, but the engine suddenly turned off. I was pushed back to the garage and started the race from the pit-lane, but as soon as I left the engine stopped… It’s a shame because I was really looking forward to racing here!”
The Spaniard later alluded to the importance of reliability on account of the car at this early stage of his fledgling career, but refused to be disheartened in the company of misfortune and looked forward to the season finale in Abu Dhabi with optimism.
“It’s definitely not the ideal situation for a rookie like me, as I need to gain experience and finish races, but now we just need to look forward, there’s one race left in Abu Dhabi in two weeks and we will give it our all to try and end the season on a high.”
A seventh retirement of the season, coupled with an impressive ninth place for Verstappen means that Sainz has less than a quarter of the points of his teammate, leaving him in 15th in his debut year.
