Williams Racing driver Carlos Sainz has opened up on the brake fire incident that caused him to retire from the Austrian Grand Prix before it even started. This follows Sainz’s complaints about the brakes on the previous day in qualifying, when he declared the car was undriveable.
The poor qualifying caused the Spaniard to start the race from P19. Unfortunately, he was unable to get his FW47 F1 car going in the formation lap until the yellow flags were waved. Once he set off, Sainz returned to the pit lane, only to find the rear brakes of his car on fire. Fortunately, the team was able to douse the flames in time.
Sainz’s car was then taken into the garage, resulting in a DNS at the Austrian GP. Describing the problem, the 30-year-old driver suggested that the rear brakes on his car had engaged, which prevented him from setting off in the formation lap. He told the media:
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“Well, we have to see if there is some kind of relationship between yesterday and today. The fact is that another problem that we have to see exactly what could have happened. The car was braked from behind when I started the engine, and I could not move.
“I managed to reset it, I did a lap, and it stopped again from the back and we had to retire. But yes, many things are happening to us lately. The truth is that this first half of the year is being a little heavy in that sense because things keep happening to us, but at some point, all this bad luck will end, and things will start to work out.”
Sainz’s teammate Alex Albon also ended his race before the chequered flag fell. Williams had to call him back into the garage and retire the car, which marked his third consecutive DNF. The outfit is unsure about the root cause of the problem and has launched an investigation to prevent a similar incident.
Related: Williams Launches Investigation Following Double DNF in Austrian GP
Addressing the problems that plagued his and Albon’s FW47, Sainz added:
“As a team also now we have had a problem with Alex, by the looks of it. So we have to find out why we are having so many problems both in qualifying and in the race. Because it’s already several weekends that we have brake problems, engine problems, overheating. Sometimes we are a little bit weak in that sense.”
Describing the Austrian GP as a disastrous race weekend, Sainz said:
“Yes, very poor, really. All weekend with problems, and now both cars are out. It’s a bit of a disastrous weekend for us, but we have to grit our teeth and see how we can improve.”