In a shocking twist to his Williams debut at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix on March 16, Carlos Sainz suffered a demoralizing crash on the very first lap at the Albert Park Circuit. However, the determined Spaniard has vowed to make a strong comeback at the forthcoming Chinese Grand Prix.
The debut race was anything but smooth, with three vehicles, including that of the 30-year-old Sainz, failing to make it to the second lap. Fellow racers Jack Doohan of Alpine and Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls were also caught in the early-stage exit.
It was a bitter pill for Sainz to swallow, considering his winning streak at the same race in 2024. His car veered off towards the wall in the final turn, seemingly due to loss of traction as he ambitiously throttled under the safety car. However, the Madrid-born racer was quick to clarify that the mishap was not due to a driver error.
The former McLaren and Ferrari whiz-kid went on to explain that according to the data, the blame lay not with him but with a post-upshift torque kick that caused his vehicle to lose traction. The rear-wheel Formula 1 cars are notorious for their sensitivity at the rear end, and an aggressive gear shift can disturb the balance. Add to it the weight of the engine, and it can set off a spin.
Sainz, addressing the media, including Total-Motorsport.com, shared, “I’ve had a chance to look at the data and we could clearly spot what happened. That leaves me a bit more calm about the whole situation.” He further added, “Because I wasn’t even going on throttle at the exit in a safety car situation, and I know having experience for these kind of things, but it’s what it is.”
Despite the unexpected turn of events in Australia, Sainz remains optimistic about making a strong comeback at the Shanghai International Circuit for the Chinese GP scheduled from March 21-23. The four-time Grand Prix winner is confident that he was not at fault for the Australian incident.
In a commendable show of team spirit, Sainz continued to contribute to the team strategy even after his exit from the race. He joined the pitwall to help the strategy engineers through the crossover period. His efforts were not in vain, as Alex Albon, his teammate, managed to maintain the fourth position for most of the race and secured the fifth position after being overtaken by Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes in the later stages. This resulted in a significant point gain for Grove.
Reflecting on the race, Sainz stated, “At the same time, being out of the car has helped Alex bring this P5. Given that I could sit down with the strategy team and pick the perfect lap to pit him. It’s still a good result, a good outcome for the team, and we can now focus on getting my season started in China.”
As the dust settles on the 2025 Australian GP, all eyes are now set on Carlos Sainz as he prepares to put this setback behind him and kickstart his season in China.
