Carlos Sainz was left scratching his head after a disastrous Sunday at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, where he crashed twice, with no clear explanation for either of his accidents.
The Ferrari charger was hoping to carry over to Brazil his gaining momentum from a week before in Mexico City where he comprehensively dominated proceedings.
However, come Sunday, back-to-back setbacks in the morning's delayed qualifying session and later in the afternoon in the Grand Prix proper left him both disappointed and baffled.
Sainz's off in Q2 at Interlagos' Turn 2 forced Ferrari to make unscheduled changes out of parc fermé to his SF-24, resulting in a pit-lane start for the main event.
Undeterred, Sainz managed to make some progress on the drenched track, although it was clear he was struggling to keep the Ferrari under control.
However, on Lap 38, his race came to an abrupt halt when he spun into the wall at Turn 8, marking his second crash of the day.
"Oh, just two very strange, unfortunate crashes today," Sainz admitted.
"A bit of a nightmare day. Honestly, the two of them, no sign of me crashing, so I couldn't do anything to avoid them.
"But at the same time, it was not easy out there to overtake, so starting from the pit lane, it was always going to be difficult to make it to the points.
"Apologies to the whole team for the two crashes. I hope we can come back strong."
The unexpected crashes left Sainz searching for answers about his Ferrari's wet-weather handling. Known for his confidence in wet conditions, Sainz was frank about how out of place he's felt with the SF-24 in the rain.
"I've always been a very strong driver in the wet, but for some reason, ever since I tried this car [the Ferrari SF-24] in the wet this year, I've never had a good feeling with it," I have noticed.
"I don't know if we just don't put energy into the tires, we run it too steep in medium-to-high speed or what it is, but it's clear that it's very unpredictable and very difficult to drive."
As if the day wasn't trying enough, Sainz found himself called to the stewards after the race. Following his crash at Turn 8, footage showed Sainz detaching his steering wheel, reattaching it, and attempting to get moving again—despite marshals already beginning recovery procedures.
Unaware that they had started, Sainz's actions led to a reprimand for “dangerous driving,” adding to the frustrations of his team and himself.
It was a far cry from the highs of the previous weekend, but Sainz remains hopeful for a stronger finish as he and the Ferrari team regroup. For now, however, Interlagos will likely be a circuit he'll be eager to put behind him.
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