Sainz 'nearly vomited' during Australian GP

Carlos Sainz Jr revealed he almost vomited during the Australian Grand Prix after a problem with his Renault car’s drinks system left him battling against a queasy stomach. 

The Spaniard reported over team radio that he was feeling nauseous after his water bottle kept feeding him water, before he slipped away from the midfield fight and fell into the clutches of Force India’s Sergio Perez.

Despite his stomach issues, Sainz fought to defend his position and ultimately resisted Perez to hold onto 10th place and claim a point in Melbourne’s season-opener. He admitted it had been a tough race. 

“I had the drinks bottle pumping water through my mouth since lap 1 and consciously I was drinking and drinking and drinking. I just got full of water in my stomach and I wasn’t feeling good,” Sainz explained.

“All the water inside was going side-to-side, it was very difficult. At some point under the Safety Car I nearly had to vomit. So it was just about making it to the finish. It was a difficult race in general but it’s unfortunate. We just need to learn from it an move on.”

Sainz said he was encouraged by Renault’s performance throughout the weekend, as Nico Hulkenberg finished seventh to seal a double points finish for the Enstone-based team. 

“It was a positive start and I’m happy with the performance all of the weekend. I think I could have done much more without the problems and with better car handling in the first stint but it’s something to learn from and we get better.”