Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to be investigated by F1 stewards at Canadian GP

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz will be investigated by the stewards at the Canadian Grand Prix for impeding another driver before the Spanish star crashed out in FP3. FIA chiefs decided to look at Sainz after complaints from Williams driver Alex Albon in the final practice session. 

Albon was forced to bail out of a hot lap at the final chicane to avoid the Ferrari star and instantly took to team radio to vent his anger. The Thai star demanded race stewards took a look at the incident and take some action.

He said: “That has to go to the stewards now. It’s the same guy again.” Minutes later Sainz was forced out of the session after crashing out at turn one in Montreal. 

He dropped his front right tyre on the white line on the outside of turn one which sent his car spinning round. Sainz was unable to avoid the barrier on the outside of the wall which ripped apart his front nose cone. 

The session was immediately red-flagged as Sainz walked away from his wreckage, raising question marks for the rest of the weekend. Sky Sports F1 host Karun Chandhok warned the impact could have done damage to key parts which could have lethal consequences. 

He explained: “He just came across the line to go second fastest. He touches the paint (white line). I wonder about the gearbox. The rear wing is square on so that would have absorbed a lot of the impact. Ferrari will be concerned about that.”

A new gearbox could see Sainz slapped with grid penalties for Sunday’s race. The Ferrari star could also be sanctioned for blocking when the case is heard by race officials in what may be a double blow.

It was an incident-packed session as rivers tested the limits on the slippery surface. Moments after Sainz’s crash, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was also caught out at turn one. 

The seven-time champion managed to recover but was forced to run over a patch of slippery grass on the entrance of turn two to rejoin the circuit. Hamilton took to team radio to complain about a lack of grip, telling Peter Bonnington that it was “very poor”.

Yuki Tsunoda and George Russell also suffered hair-raising moments as they tried to keep their cars on track.