Sainz Jr admits “an error” on his part in the accident

The start of the Japanese weekend couldn't have been worse for Carlos Sainz Jr. After around forty minutes during the first free practice session, the Spaniard lost control of his car in the acceleration phase after the Spoon hairpin, the slowest corner on the Suzuka circuit. Her Toro Rosso hit the wall of tires, destroying its front wing as well as the left front axle.

It was an early and dramatic exit for Carlos Sainz during FP1 at Suzuka #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/YdtTsmFDRQ

— Formula 1 (@F1) 6th October, 2017

" My bad. I just bit too hard on the outside of the curb, which sent me into a spin and then into the tires. It might look pretty impressive on TV, but luckily inside the cockpit it wasn't much of a shock.", He explains. “The slightest mistake on this route is costly. The mechanics, however, had time to patch things up for the second session, which proves their dedication! »

A few hours later, the commissioners inflicted a penalty of 20 places on the starting grid, its engine Renault having received new mechanical elements. Carlos Sainz Jr will therefore have to start from the back of the grid on Sunday.