Following an unusual crash in the opening round of the Australian GP, Carlos Sainz Jr still proved valuable to the Williams team. The race in Melbourne marked the first time the Spaniard drove the FW47 on a wet track. Consequently, he was unsure of how to react. During the safety car phase following Jack Doohan’s crash, he made a misjudgment while shifting gears.
After the Australian GP, Carlos Sainz was asked by the press about the crash. What went wrong for the ‘(not so) smooth operator’? “We looked at the data and were able to quickly determine what happened,” he responded cryptically. “That’s why I’m much calmer about it now. Without going into further detail, it has to do with shifting gears in safety car mode. Of course, I’m frustrated about it and feel sorry for everyone on the team.”
“I tried to help via the radio for the rest of the race and am pleased that I was able to contribute in that way,” he continued optimistically. “Fortunately, we’ll be in China next weekend – I can’t wait to get back in the car.” While Sainz had to withdraw from the race, teammate Alexander Albon crossed the finish line in fifth place – the best result for Williams since the 2021 Belgian GP.
Sainz the Strategist
According to team boss James Vowles, the team is still investigating what exactly went wrong with Sainz. “It’s still a bit strange, so we need to investigate further,” he added. “In fact, he was just trying to shift gears, but there was much more torque than he expected at that moment. Moreover, it happened on a treacherous part of the circuit.” Vowles is grateful that Alex Albon made it safely to the finish line and thanked Sainz for his contribution to Williams’ success in Melbourne.
“The pit stops were good, the strategy was good, everyone performed exceptionally today,” he praised his team. “If I may say something about the strategy: we had an extra strategist today, and that was Carlos (Sainz). His insights were extremely useful when switching to the intermediates. You saw that a number of teams were doubting a tire change, but Sainz insisted that we wouldn’t survive the last turns on slicks. He was absolutely right.”
