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“I decided not to take a bottle with me”- Carlos Sainz went 2 hours without drinking water to reduce wight of his F1-75 at French GP

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"I decided not to take a bottle with me"- Carlos Sainz went 2 hours without drinking water to reduce wight of his F1-75 at French GP

Carlos Sainz produced an incredible performance at Circuit Paul Ricard after finishing P5 despite starting from 19th. 

Ferrari’s turbulent 2022 season continued after Sainz’s engine blew up in Austria. The Spaniard looked set for a second placed finish behind Charles Leclerc but he was forced to retire.

As a result of the damage to his power-unit, Sainz had to change multiple components of his engine. Consequently, he started last week’s French GP from P19. It was always going to be difficult charging up the field, but the Madrid born driver made it look effortless.

He made his way up to P10 when Leclerc crashed out after a mistake. In spite of having a slow pit-stop, he found himself in third place with just 10 laps to go. His team however decided to call him for fresher tyres, insisting that he would lose places if he didn’t pit.

He rejoined the race in ninth, but ended up in fifth with the fastest lap of the race. Fans recognized the Ferrari driver’s brilliant performance and voted him as ‘Driver of the day’.

Also read: “Christian Horner is just bored at the front” – $540 Million Toto Wolff responds to accusations of lobbying by Red Bull boss

Carlos Sainz refused to fit in water bottle in his Ferrari at Circuit Paul Ricard

The weather in Le Castellet was absolutely scorching. Temperatures were high all weekend, and several drivers admitted that they struggled with the heat during the race.

37-year old Lewis Hamilton revealed that his drinks bottle failed during the outing. This took a toll on his health, and we saw the Brit lying down on the floor of the cooling room after his P2 finish to catch his breath. Hamilton also revealed that he lost up to 3 kgs during his French GP.

Sainz meanwhile opted to start the race without having a bottle installed altogether. Every single component installed in an F1 car adds weight, which affects the speed. Sainz wanted his car to be as light as possible to have an advantage, and this was why he made the call.

“I didn’t drink,” he admitted after the race. “The car is overweight and so I decided not to take a bottle. I prefer to be faster by a tenth. It was very hot.”

Also read: “He caught me by surprise”: Sebastian Vettel accuses his $50 Million worth teammate of brake testing at Paul Ricard

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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