One of the most frightening moments of the 2015 Formula 1 season was Carlos Sainz's high speed crash into the wall during free practice for the Russian Grand Prix, which the Spaniard acknowledged was the biggest crash of his career.
After losing control entering Turn 13, Sainz speared into and funneled deep under the plastic barriers lining the Sochi track. Thereafter it took more than a quarter of an hour to extricate the Toro Rosso driver from the wreckage.
He was taken to hospital, but released and allowed to race the following day.
Speaking on El Hormiguero TV show, Sainz recollected, "It took 17-and-a-half minutes until I was taken out from the car," Sainz Jr. explained during an appearance on Spanish TV programme El Hormiguero.
"On the longest straight of the circuit, I was asked to test an experimental braking map. I reached about 330 kph, lost the back of the car just after hitting the brakes and crashed into the first wall at 270 kph.
"But nothing happened there: the problem was that the suspension was broken, so the steering and the braking system did not work and I just hit the wall at 270 kph. Without braking, I managed to reduce the speed to 200 kph and then came the heavy crash.
"During the two-second period from the first to the second impact, when I was hitting the brakes and nothing happened, I said: "it is all over". You assume the worst and I think these were the two worst seconds in my life.
"After the impact, I got out of breath during some seconds, but I realised I was conscious. Then I touched myself, felt I was right and knew that nothing serious had happened.
"I was stuck behind the barriers because they hadn't worked properly, and told them [the marshals] to take their time to remove them.
"During those 17 minutes I was thinking about my dad, my sisters, my mum… everyone had watched the accident and they did not know if something had happened to me. Then I got a little bit overwhelmed," admitted Sainz who nevertheless enjoyed an impressive rookie season.
Latest News
Loading
