Carlos Sainz’s first race at the Madring ends in retirement

Sunday, 13 September 2026:

- Race: DNF

• Carlos Sainz retired from the Spanish GP after 43 laps because the floor of his car had been damaged since the start of the race.
• After a great start, the Williams race driver had contact with one of the Racing Bulls going into Turn 1, although he overtook two cars and moved up to seventeenth.
• The Spanish driver later received a 5-second penalty for a defensive move going into Turn 5.
• Carlos pitted twice, but his FW48 was so compromised that it was better to retire from the race.

QUOTES:

“It’s been a tougher weekend in Madrid than what I would have liked. I had a very strong start, picking up positions off the line, but I went deep into turn 1 and had contact with Yuki. From there on the damage to the floor meant I was lacking a lot of downforce and couldn’t keep it on track for the remainder of the race, forcing us to retire. Regarding the penalty, two cars don’t fit into that corner so being ahead, there was little I could do. It’s a disappointing way to end the first race here, but ultimately, scoring points was always going to be near impossible for us".

“The fans have been absolutely amazing from start to finish and I’ve felt their support all weekend. The track is great and for the first year I think it’s been a great event overall. There needs to be some work done to create better overtaking opportunities".

“Looking ahead to Baku, I’m hopeful that the upgrades will put us more in the mix with the cars ahead and that we can come back stronger".

COMING UP:

Azerbaijan GP, Baku City Circuit – 24-26 September 2026