Sainz: I just had to pray that no one bumped into me

Carlos Sainz was unlucky, he withdrew from the Japanese Grand Prix on the first lap before commenting on what happened on Sky Sports.

Q: You flew off the track and crashed shortly after take-off – what happened?
Carlos Sainz: The conditions were very difficult, there was no visibility, it was impossible to see anything, besides there was absolutely crazy aquaplaning. I tried to get out of the veil of splashing water that lifted Sergio Perez’s car, but as soon as I did, I landed on a part of the track where there was even more water – aquaplaning started and I turned around.

After that it all depended on luck, because the riders that followed didn’t see where my car was and it was in the middle of the track. All I could do was pray that no one bumped into me.

Q: Was it the right decision to start from the ground?
Carlos Sainz: It would probably have been better to start behind the safety car on heavy rain tires, even though the rain was getting heavier… But when the start is moving, everyone complains that Formula 1 races are not held in the rain.

But think about it: when we race in such conditions, we see almost nothing in front of us – how can you drive a Formula 1 car at speeds below 300 km/h?

Question: Are you aware of the dangerous situation that arose on the track when the tractor left at a time when the peloton was still following the safety car? What do you think?
Carlos Sainz: I don’t know if people understand that we even drive behind the safety car at speeds of 100-150 km/h and at the same time see nothing in front of us. If someone leaves the race track, or someone is aquaplaning, or the rider is distracted by switching some modes and the position of the switches on the steering wheel changes, and at that time there will be a tractor on the track, then the consequences can be very serious.

I don’t understand why it was necessary to take risks and send a tractor to the track so early when the race was stopped by red flags.