Carlos Sainz will start Saturday’s F1 sprint from 10th place after a crash during Q2 ruled him out for the remainder of the session.
Sainz’s weekend went off to a great start off the track. Ferrari announced that he signed a new deal that would keep him at the outfit till 2024. It was a great moment for him, and he insisted that he wanted to top it off with a strong performance in Imola.
It’s fair to say that things did not go his way on Friday. In FP1, he finished second behind teammate Charles Leclerc, and people were quick to predict a Ferrari front row lockout for Saturday’s sprint.
Sainz comfortably managed to get into Q2, and even put up a strong lap that put him P2 there, momentarily. Soon however, he lost control of his rear tyres and spun, colliding with the barriers as a result.
It brought an end to his qualifying session. However, he wasn’t the only victim of his crash. Rain was forecasted late into Q2, so most drivers were hurrying to get a time in on the softs. After Sainz’s crash brought out the red flag, there wasn’t enough time to do so. The likes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell got knocked out of Q2 as a result.
Also read: Ferrari fears competition from Red Bull more than Mercedes in 2022
Carlos Sainz vows to make up places during F1 Sprint tomorrow
Today’s qualifying order won’t set the grid for Sunday’s main race. Drivers who finished further back, will have a chance to make up some places during tomorrow’s sprint race. Sainz who will start P10, also hopes to do the same.
After his crash, the Spaniard insisted that he felt comfortable with the car. He remains confused as to what made him lose control like that, and apologized to the Tifosi.
“It’s a shame. I felt comfortable,” he said. “Don’t understand because I wasn’t going at full speed. I have no choice but to apologize. I will try to come back as much as possible in the sprint race and start further ahead.”
“I wasn’t pushing as hard as possible. I unfortunately made a mistake. I lost the rear entering the last corner. I don’t know fully what happened yet, and I wasn’t expecting the mistake as I was not pushing full out.”
Also read: Max Verstappen never felt pressured by Carlos Sainz
