Carlos Sainz rues indecision that resulted in Yuki Tsunoda sympathy crash

Carlos Sainz in actie op het Baku City Circuit. — Photo: © LAT Images

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Sainz rues indecision that resulted in Tsunoda sympathy crash

Sainz qualified fifth before crashing whilst avoiding Tsunoda

Sam Hall

Saturday 5 June 2021 20:32

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Carlos Sainz has revealed his crash late in F1 qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was as a result of being caught in two minds after watching Yuki Tsunoda collect the turn three barriers.

As drivers began their final runs in Baku, Sainz had positioned his Ferrari in the slipstream of Tsunoda's AlphaTauri.

When the Japanese driver missed his braking and crashed, indecision got the better of Sainz as he slid down the escape road and pirouetted into the barriers himself, ripping off his front wing.

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Explaining the incident, Sainz said: “I started the lap too close to Yuki. There was a massive traffic jam in the last three corners like we all expected.

"The FIA tried for this not to happen but there was someone up front playing games and we were all in a massive jam.

“But I started the lap too close, I was very quick through turn one and two and then I saw Yuki locking up and crashing in front of me and I had doubts whether to try and do the corner and continue my lap or hit the brakes harder and try to avoid a crash.

“In the end, by trying to do one or the other, I ended up crashing myself.

“A bit of a shame because it shouldn’t have happened and it’s again another quali and another missed opportunity.”

Ferrari enjoys another "great result"

The last two weekends have seen a rise in form from Ferrari with Charles Leclerc taking pole in Monaco, a race which he was unable to start, and again this weekend in Azerbaijan.

Commenting on the overall success of the team, Sainz added: "On the positive side, our pace was strong, even more than we expected before coming to Baku.

"Congrats to Charles for putting it on pole. Overall it’s a great result for the team. Now we’ll start preparing for the race and I will do my absolute best to recover tomorrow."