Carlos Sainz failed to make a good lap at the end of Q3 of the 2022 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix and that left him in fourth starting position for Sunday’s race, despite this, he was hoping to come back, but he was soon forced to abandon that idea.
After a start in which he was unable to get close to his main rivals, the Spanish driver changed his strategy and started saving tires in search of making just one stop, but everything fell apart before even reaching the tenth lap.
As the time to start squeezing those medium tires approached, the Madrid driver’s F1-75 said enough was enough at the entrance to turn 3. A hydraulic failure caused a sudden blackout in the #55 car and Sainz had to enter the run-off to park and leave.
As soon as he got out of his Ferrari, the Spaniard was visibly affected and acknowledged that it was “one of the most difficult and frustrating moments” personally and also for the team, since his teammate, Charles Leclerc, also had to retire when he was leading the the race.
“We were keen to start pushing after nine laps of managing tyres, but that was it. Then it’s even more frustrating to see Charles [Leclerc] retiring with another issue as well, it’s a tough day for all of us, but we’re a team. “.
“We’re going to go through different times throughout the year. This is probably one of the most difficult and frustrating times, but we’re going to keep trying to get back on our feet.”
This is the third zero for Sainz in a season in which mistakes and problems are marking his path, something that is already beginning to bother him.
“It happens quite often. It’s very difficult and so far the season has decided to go this way for me and it’s frustrating, it’s extremely frustrating, but we’ll have to bounce back, we’ve got to be patient and positive going forward.”
Regarding the hydraulic problem that caused his abandonment, the man from Madrid explained his sensations behind the wheel: “I was entering the corner, I felt a problem in the gearbox and everything went out. It’s a shame because until that moment, we had only been managing tires, without even pushing, waiting for the moment to do it”.
After this double zero and a new one-two from Red Bull, the Maranello team is making life difficult for the rest of the season, but there are still many races to play and, therefore, confidence.
“I think we have a good team to fight for the title, and it is true that we are fighting against the current world champions, a great team like Red Bull . They also had a double retirement in Bahrain. This kind of thing happens from time to time. from time to time, and now we must learn from it to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Sainz concluded.
