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Sainz explains why he kept on driving with broken Ferrari

Sainz explains why he kept on driving with broken Ferrari

02-08-2023 08:36 Last update: 10:04
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GPblog.com

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz eventually had to abandon his race after an incident in turn one with McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, although the Spaniard continued to drive for a long time in his broken Ferrari. Speaking to GPblog and others, the one-time race winner explains why.

At turn one, Piastri and Sainz collided. The Australian tried to go inside the Spaniard at La Source, but ended up driving into the Ferrari driver's sidepod. Sainz does not blame himself:"I knew he was there, but at a certain point someone has to back off, and in my opininion it is the one driving alongside my right rear. I was finishing my move on Lewis [Hamilton]."

The Ferrari driver then had a very difficult time in his SF-23. "It was pretty much undrivable. But we kept going hoping there would be a red flag." In that case, the team was allowed to try to fix some things on the car. "When the rain stopped and there was still no red flag, we retired."

Not depressed by Red Bull

While the man from Madrid had a tough Sunday, teammate Charles Leclerc finished on the podium. Nevertheless, the gap to rival Red Bull is undiminished. Indeed, compared to last year, the gap does not seem to have narrowed at all. "No, I don't get depressed by that. It means that Red Bull continues to develop well and keeps everything under control."