The Spaniard remains unlucky this season. There is a moment of shock at the Austrian Grand Prix – and things get hectic.
It was the scariest moment at Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix when flames erupted from Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari – the next blow for the Spaniard in what has been a roller-coaster season in Formula One. The 27-year-old’s Ferrari caught fire in a flash.
Round 58 of 71: Sainz is in 3rd place, catching up on Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, has just driven one fastest race lap – but then suddenly smoke comes out of the Ferrari. Apparently severe engine damage.
But it gets even more dramatic: Sainz wants to park his car in the gravel bed, and the TV pictures show flames emerging from the rear of the car. Sainz also has problems parking the car, it keeps rolling back towards the track. The flames spread further and further, meanwhile the fire already occupies a considerable part of the surface. Sainz hastily waves over the marshals who are already rushing to put out the fire, which is threatening to spread to the cockpit. A marshal tries to use a wedge to prevent the car from moving backwards again, but is lucky that a tire doesn’t roll over his foot. Then use fire extinguishers to fight the flames.