Carlos Sainz expressed his shock and disappointment over the unexpected engine fire that led to his exit from the Austrian Grand Prix, expressing it as “heartbreaking.” He lamented the lost opportunity of securing significant points and a potential one-two finish.
Running in third place and on the verge of overtaking Max Verstappen, Sainz faced a sudden and dramatic engine failure just before Turn 4. The Ferrari, engulfed in smoke and flames, rolled backwards while Sainz was still inside until track marshalls came to his aid.
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The exact cause of the engine malfunction remains unconfirmed by Ferrari. In a discussion with Sky Sports F1, Sainz reflected on the incident, highlighting the unexpected nature of the failure and its impact on his race strategy: “There was no feedback coming from the engine that this was about to happen, very sudden.
“I am a bit lost for words because this is obviously a big loss of points and result for the team today because I think it could have been an easy one-two.
“There’s a lot of damage, for sure.”
Sainz’s early exit from the race dealt a significant blow to both his individual championship aspirations and Ferrari’s overall standings. Following his victory at the British Grand Prix, this incident caused him to lose crucial points to both Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen in the 2022 championship race.
“It is more difficult to take because we were about to cut the points to the leaders of the championship, both Max and Red Bull, to do a very big result for the team and one of the cars DNF,” added Sainz.
“It is heartbreaking but we will need to keep pushing, turn the page and it is still a long season ahead.”
Hamilton secures third place, celebrates Mercedes’ comeback
Lewis Hamilton expressed his satisfaction with clinching another podium finish in 2022 at the challenging Austrian GP. He commended Mercedes for their efforts in turning around his weekend and for their progressive car enhancements, which are gradually closing the gap with competitors.
Hamilton’s experience in Spielberg was filled with ups and downs. He started off strongly with impressive qualifying speeds but suffered a setback in Q3, resulting in a crash. He only managed to move up one spot to eighth in the Sprint.
However, the race day saw the seven-time world champion make a remarkable comeback. He advanced to fourth and eventually secured his third consecutive podium finish after Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari suffered an engine failure.
With his teammate George Russell finishing fourth, Mercedes achieved a higher score than both Red Bull and Ferrari. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Hamilton said, “This is a great recovery for us as a team. It’s really good points.”
Source: Sky Sports F1
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