Carlos Sainz Jr was left speechless after once again failing to finish a Grand Prix through no fault of his own. After experiencing the joy and ecstasy of winning his first F1 race at Silverstone last week, the Spaniard looked destined for another top two finish in Austria yesterday, before disaster struck.
Running in third, the 27-year-old was closing up to Max Verstappen in second and was moments away from overtaking the Dutchman. Just before he looked to make his move, the driver’s Ferrari suddenly began to smoke. He then rolled helplessly towards the gravel as his engine failed and flames began to consume the car.
In a close call Sainz just managed to escape from the car before the fire engulfed him and proceeded to sit on a grass bank with his head bowed in disbelief. After suffering his second mechanical retirement this season, the driver expressed his shock at what took place and the lack of communication from his team leading up to the unfortunate incident.
