Carlos Sainz’s major accident at the F1 Abu Dhabi GP

Carlos Sainz was hoping to forget his bad luck at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and finish the season on a positive note at the final race in Abu Dhabi. However, the weekend did not start in the best way for the Spaniard, as he suffered a serious accident in the second free practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which resulted in a severe impact to the Turn 3 protection.

The first free practice session was not representative, with the Spaniard making several adjustments and height changes without good results, but then Carlos Sainz took to the track in free practice 2. , aiming to find the key to the setting. your Ferrari SF23 in a more typical situation.

In the first session, the Ferrari was already showing signs of being too bouncy, and in the area of ​​Turns 2 and 3 young driver Schwartzman, who replaced Leclerc in free practice 1, almost lost control of the car due to was. This bounce required Ferrari to adjust the ride height to find the best compromise between the car’s maximum load and the lowest possible ride height.

However, at the start of free practice 2, that rebound, and a loss of grip due to the dirty air emanating from the car he was chasing, caused him to lose control of his Ferrari at Turn 3 and crash into the outside protection. Fast, fast. The left side of the car was destroyed and it remains to be seen whether Ferrari will need to replace the gearbox.

“I crashed, guys. Dirty air from the car[in front of me]. That caused me to spin out a lot. I think it was the dirty air and the boat.” Sainz said on the radio:

At the moment, Sainz is disappointed by the accident as he did not get the chance to ride in free practice 2, which is important to find the best set-up for the car, as well as gain confidence for tomorrow’s qualifying and recovery. Great damage was sustained. Data on long distance driving and tire deterioration.