The Father of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, Carlos Sainz Sr made a helicopter turn away despite being in need of medical attention after a horrific crash at the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.
Only 5km ahead of the 9th stage of the rally, Sainz bounced his Audi RS Q E-Tron awkwardly over a sand dune which in turn landed nose down into a hole in the ground.
While he and his co-driver Lucas Cruz emerged safely from the car earlier reports revealed that Sainz Sr was suffering from severe chest pain and some ache in the right side of his torso.
The Spaniard was airlifted away from the scene but he asked the pilot to turn around and fly him back to his car. He was then brought back to his car where he united with his co-driver while waiting for assistance vehicle.
This bizarre turn of events means that the 2-time world rally champion will still be classified as finishing the rally though his hopes of winning seem to be over.
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Carlos Sainz Sr got into trouble with the FIA
A few days ago, Sainz Sr caught the attention of the FIA stewards after his son was seen assisting him at the Rally.
The Ferrari driver was observing the repairs that were being made to his car before he helped shut down the doors of his Audi Q E-Tron once Sainz Sr and Cruz got in.
The sporting delegates saw the act as a violation of the regulations which state that no assistance is allowed within a kilometre of the car, excluding a few scenarios.
Audi and Sainz Sr clarified to the FIA that the F1 driver is not a part of the team but FIA raised the concern about how it might have looked on the outside.
🚨 New episode in the @CSainz_oficial saga on stage 9: the Spaniard asked the medical helicopter on its way to the hospital to turn back and take him to his car. He is now back with Lucas Cruz waiting for their assistance vehicle. 🛠#Dakar2023
— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 10, 2023
Sainz was angry after the Dakar disaster
Some mechanical woes turned Sainz Sr’s run at the Dakar Rally into a nightmare as he lost his lead. The 60-year-old is targeting a fourth victory in the Rally-Raid classic but he lost a huge amount of time to his rivals.
He started his race from Alula with an advantage of 2m 12s but was soon forced to stop due to damage in his rear suspension because a ball joint had broken.
The repair work led to a 30-minute delay followed by a further 20-minute delay after a puncture repair went disastrously wrong.
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