Carlos Sainz had everything to be second in the Austrian GP, but his Ferrari engine blew a nozzle and he abandoned his car in flames just as he was overtaking Max Verstappen
Carlos Sainz was on his way to a Ferrari double at the Red Bull Ring, but he abandoned the Austrian GP with an engine blowout in the final stretch of the race. This Sunday, the Spaniard was about to overtake Max Verstappen for second place when the Italian power unit let him down.
And the scene got even scarier than one could imagine. In addition to losing a second place that was almost certain, since the Dutchman was on much more worn tires, the Spaniard also saw his car go up in flames, with pieces of the fairing flying off after the engine blew.
The pitstop not only makes Sainz lose the gap to Verstappen in the championship, but also makes the Spaniard almost out of contention again. Before the Austrian GP, 56 points separated Max and Carlos in the Drivers' World Championship.
The Austrian GP was the fourth time that Sainz failed to complete a race in Formula 1 2022 and the second time due to Ferrari reliability problems, as it had been in the Azerbaijan GP. In addition to the two occasions, the Spaniard got stuck in the gravel in Australia, and in Emilia-Romagna he was hit by Daniel Ricciardo.
Formula One returns in two weeks, with the French GP at Paul Ricard.