Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsToro Rosso

Sainz airlifted to hospital after FP3 crash

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Carlos Sainz has been airlifted to hospital following a heavy crash during final practice for the Russian Grand Prix.

Sainz went off at Turn 13 - a tight right hander at the end of a DRS zone - with his car becoming embedded below the tecpro barrier. The session was red flagged with 25 minutes still to run, with Sainz being extricated from the car and giving the thumbs up to TV cameras as he was loaded in to an ambulance on the back of a stretcher.

The FIA confirmed Sainz was conscious and talking when he was removed from the car, with the Toro Rosso driver initially being taken to the circuit medical centre before being airlifted to a local hospital.

An FIA spokesman said doctors need to wait for the adrenaline to subside following the incident, with Sainz having tried to remove his own helmet after the crash.

Big Sainz crash halts FP3 in Sochi

AS IT HAPPENED: Russian Grand Prix FP3

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.