Sainz concerned about reaction time of commissioners in Austria

It was undoubtedly the most impressive image of the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday. Carlos Sainz's car in flames, after the explosion of its engine at the end of the second straight. The Spaniard, who was in 3rd place on lap 57, had no choice but to stop in the escape route at turn 4. 

If disappointment was in order, a touch of bitterness also adorned the pilot's speech Ferrari. By giving the details of his evacuation from the F1-75 on fire, Carlos Sainz regretted that the intervention of the commissioners took so long. “It was not an ideal situation because I saw in my mirrors that the car was catching fire, but at the same time I had to hit the brake, explained the Spanish pilot. As soon as I tried to jump, I saw that the car was rolling backwards. I didn't want to leave her spinning out of control. I called the marshals to come and help me put something under the tires to stop the car from rolling backwards. But I think their whole process was a little slow. »

The replay of the explosion on Sainz's car 👇#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 | ▶️ https://t.co/t7uFs3yVeh pic.twitter.com/Ed6a1wcXDX

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) July 10, 2022

“There was so much fire that I had to jump on my own,” explains Sainz

In a small moment of panic, Carlos Sainz had to wait for the arrival of the first commissioner to finally be able to get out of his car. The Spaniard took big risks to prevent his Ferrari from returning to the track. “At one point there was so much fire that I actually had to jump on my own. I think it was just as the first marshal arrived and stopped the car. »

Having emerged safely from his car, the Scuderia driver would like the situation to be analyzed to avoid this kind of risk. “It’s something we need to look at. We need to see what we could have done a little quicker because it wasn't the easiest situation to go through. » The Ferrari was finally able to be evacuated by the marshals, during the intervention of the virtual safety car. But the scene was reminiscent of that of Jules Bianchi's Marussia, during the German Grand Prix in 2013. The Frenchman's car had crossed the track without its driver on board. So, when will there be a handbrake on Formula 1 cars to avoid this?

ALSO READ > How Charles Leclerc defeated the Indian sign in Austria