Carlos Sainz hints at cause of crash at F1 Australian Grand Prix
The Spaniard was one of the six drivers to retire from Sunday’s season-opener
New Williams Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz has hinted at the cause of his mysterious crash under the safety car at the Australian Grand Prix.
Sainz was running inside the top 10 at the end of the opening lap when he lost control of his Williams at the final corner, sliding sideways into the barriers.
At that time, the 30-year-old said he experienced a “massive torque surge” while talking to his race engineer over team radio.
While Williams is yet to present the findings of its analysis, Sainz has revealed the incident was caused by the way the Williams gearbox operates under safety car conditions.
Given the race was neutralised, Sainz was likely using a different engine map on his car, which would have affected the torque delivery on upshifts.
The Australian GP marked the Spaniard’s experience of driving the Williams F1 car in the wet, and as such he didn’t have a full understanding of how it behaves in such conditions.
“We’ve looked at the data and could quickly spot what happened, so this leaves me calmer about the situation,” Sainz said.
“Without going into details, it’s related to the upshifts when in Safety Car Mode.
“I’m obviously frustrated about it and feel sorry for everyone in the team.
“I spent the rest of the race trying to help on the radio and I’m happy I could at least participate in that way. Thankfully China is already next weekend and I can’t wait to jump back in the car".
While Sainz retired early from the race, teammate Alex Albon shone in the wet to finish fifth on the road, which became fourth after Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli was handed a five-second penalty for an unsafe release in the pits.
It represented Williams’ best finish in a race since the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.
