Carlos Sainz suffers a terrifying moment at the Austrian Grand Prix as his Ferrari’s engine explodes and catches fire at the side of the track, with the Spaniard only JUST jumping out in time as flames engulfed the car while it rolled backwards down a hill
- Carlos Sainz’s car caught fire on lap 58 of the Austrian Grand Prix
- The Ferrari driver managed to escape just in time after the terrifying incident
- Sainz’s car was rolling backwards and it subsequently caught fire on a hill
Carlos Sainz had to jump out of his car after it caught fire in a terrifying moment at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The incident occurred following an engine explosion and subsequent blowout on lap 58, with the Ferrari having caught fire at the side of the track. The car had suddenly slowed on the exit of Turn Three.
Sainz’s car was rolling backwards down a hill and the Spaniard only just managed to get out in time and avoid serious injury, with flames gradually engulfing the car on Turn Four.
Carlos Sainz had to jump out of his Ferrari after it caught fire during the Austrian Grand Prix
The Ferrari driver’s race came to an early end after his car was engulfed in flames on a hill.
Having pulled his car to the side, he stayed behind the wheel for a few seconds as the flames started to spread. Fire destroyed the bodywork of the car and was inches away from Sainz. He was seen calling for the assistance of fire crews.
A virtual safety car was subsequently used. Sainz vented his frustration on the team radio, saying: ‘Engine, engine, no, no, no, no.’
It is the fourth mechanical fault that Sainz has suffered so far this season, with Ferrari having endured many problems. Charles Leclerc was forced out of the Spanish and Azerbaijan Grand Prixes due to mechanical issues.
The incident occurred on lap 58, with Sainz just managing to get out of the car in time
The Ferrari was rolling backwards after it caught fire on a hill with Sainz managing to get out
A dejected Sainz eventually managed to get back to the paddock following the incident
It is the fourth mechanical fault that Sainz has suffered so far during this season
After escaping the incident, Sainz managed to make his way back to the paddock.
The 27-year-old cut a dejected figure, with his car having suffered significant damage and his bid to hunt down Max Verstappen in the race over.
Sainz had been in third place in Austria, behind reigning champion Verstappen and Leclerc.
He was on fresh tyres and looked set to secure a second place finish.
Sainz was in third place when the incident occurred and was looking to finish in second place
Leclerc ended up winning the race despite a late throttle issue. Verstappen was second, with Lewis Hamilton in third.
Commenting on his throttle issue, Leclerc said: ‘I had this issue with the throttle. It would get stuck at 20 or 30 per cent throttle in the low speeds, so it was very tricky. We managed to make it stick until the end and I am so happy.
‘Weirdly was more or less the same time [as Sainz’s retirement], so I had it in my mind. I knew it was not a problem with the engine because it was the pedal that was feeling weird. Luckily it went until the end of the race.’
