Seidl lays full blame for wretched Russian Grand Prix on Sainz
Seidl lays full blame for wretched Russian Grand Prix on Sainz
McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has laid full blame on Carlos Sainz for the team's abysmal Russian Grand Prix after the Spaniard's first-lap incident.
Sainz collided heavily with the retaining wall at turn two of the Sochi Autodrom whilst attempting to rejoin the track through the control bollards put in place by the FIA to prevent drivers from gaining an advantage should they cut across the kerbing.
After coming to rest in the middle of the circuit, team-mate Lando Norris following on from behind was forced to slow considerably, pitching him to the rear of the pack.
While conceding to not knowing the full extent of the damage to the MCL35, Seidl pulled no punches in placing sole accountability for his team's zero points return on Sainz.
"First of all, the monocoque, we still need to assess how big the damage is," said Seidl.
"Carlos reported that he is fine, I think his foot is a bit bruised but it doesn't look like anything major. In the end, Carlos said it himself, the angle he was approaching the slot, he just misjudged it and touched the barrier and it was his fault."
When put to Seidl that turn two is a badly designed corner which could have contributed to the accident, Seidl insisted "it would be wrong to blame anyone else".
He added: "In the end, Carlos said what happened. He misjudged the situation with the angle he was approaching that slot and crashed into the barrier which was a mistake. Honestly, I would leave it like that."
With Norris also compromised, Seidl revealed the team had been holding on for a second safety car after pitting at the start of the race but acknowledged Sainz's error was ultimately defining.
"It ended our race for both cars, unfortunately, in turn two of a long race because Lando had to back out and was last after the first lap," explained Seidl.
"Then there was nothing else to do so we boxed under the safety car for the hard tyre and tried to simply survive and hope for something else to happen like another safety car which didn't work out.
"[It is] very disappointing to leave with zero points because the performance we had in qualifying, P6 and P8, I think we were up for good points.
"[It is] Important to go away, everyone learns from it, the drivers, the team, and try again in the Nürburgring."
Before you go...
Five talking points from the Russian Grand Prix
Leclerc "confused" by Ferrari's rollercoaster form
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Audi agree STAR driver contract as Mercedes driver tipped for new F1 seat THIS season - GPFans F1 Recap
- 32 minutes ago
Ferrari show off new-look drivers following HUGE announcement
- 1 hour ago
McLaren leading fight for HUGE cash injection
- 2 hours ago
Newey set to announce STUNNING Red Bull departure
- Yesterday 17:57
Newey Red Bull exit wish CONFIRMED as F1 guru's reasons revealed
- 3 hours ago
F1 legend reveals 'FLOOD' of death threats after controversial decision
- Yesterday 19:57
Related news
McLaren leading fight for HUGE cash injection
Sainz manager speaks out on 'game playing' over contract
Big name driver 'very angry internally' after controversial battle
Horner fears F1 rival could POACH star driver from Red Bull
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860