Five worst moments of Carlos Sainz’s F1 career including Austrian GP heartbreak and 200mph crash at Sochi

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Carlos Sainz has endured some tough moments during his Formula 1 career, so F1 Oversteer has taken a look at the Spaniard’s five worst races.

The Madrid native has driven for a mix of teams since making his debut with Toro Rosso in 2015, after also enjoying spells with Renault, McLaren, Ferrari and Williams to date.

His time at Toro Rosso was marred by a fierce rivalry with Max Verstappen, while a switch to Renault at the end of 2017 did not yield the results that either party expected.

After joining McLaren in 2019, Sainz scored his maiden podium with P3 in that year’s Brazilian Grand Prix. He later went on to join Ferrari in 2021, which he followed up with his first victory in the 2022 British Grand Prix.

But through the highs, Sainz has also experienced a lot of lows during his Formula 1 career. So, F1 Oversteer has taken a look at some of his worst moments on track.

Carlos Sainz had a 200mph crash at the 2015 Russian Grand Prix

Sainz suffered the first big crash of his Formula 1 career as a rookie when he lost control of his Toro Rosso during the final practice session at the 2015 Russian Grand Prix.

The Spaniard was approaching Turn 13 at 200mph when the rear of his car gave way, and he slammed into the barriers after only reducing his speed to 93mph.

The FIA revealed that Sainz’s impact piqued at 46G, which even saw the guardrail behind the Tecpro safety barriers collapse.

Sainz had to be transferred to a local hospital in Sochi for overnight evaluations after being stretchered into an ambulance. But he was ultimately cleared to race in the 2015 Russian GP after avoiding any injuries.

He had to start the race from the back of the grid after not being able to take part in qualifying. But Toro Rosso’s work to rebuild his car was ultimately in vain, as Sainz retired on Lap 45 due to brake problems.

Carlos Sainz was wiped out by Daniil Kvyat in the 2017 British Grand Prix

Sainz suffered his fair share of bad luck in the 2017 season, including being eliminated from the Bahrain Grand Prix by Lance Stroll and being caught up in a first-lap collision with Romain Grosjean and Felipe Massa in the Canadian Grand Prix.

The 2017 British Grand Prix was a particularly frustrating occasion for Sainz, as he collided with Toro Rosso teammate Daniil Kvyat on the opening lap of the race at Silverstone.

Sainz had made some early progress after starting from P14 on the grid, but he would not complete two sectors before having to park up.

Kvyat ran deep into Maggots with Sainz on his inside, but the Russian failed to leave enough space for the Spaniard when he rejoined the track into Becketts.

As the teammates went side-by-side, Kvyat tagged the rear of Sainz’s car and sent him into a spin with race-ending damage to his left-hand corner. Kvyat was able to continue and finished the 2017 British GP in P15 after serving a drive-through penalty.

Heartbreak for Carlos Sainz in the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix

Ferrari started F1’s ground-effect era from 2022 to 2025 strongly, with Charles Leclerc scoring two wins over the first three races. Sainz also enjoyed a competitive start to the year, until Red Bull surpassed the Scuderia as the pace-setters.

Sainz started the 2022 season with six podiums and his maiden Grand Prix victory across the opening 10 rounds.

Leclerc also spoiled Red Bull’s party by beating Verstappen to win the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, after benefiting from an offset tyre strategy to overtake the Dutchman on Lap 53.

But Sainz would not join Leclerc on the rostrum at the Red Bull Ring in 2022, as the Spaniard suffered a spectacular power unit failure on Lap 57 and was forced to retire from third place.

Sainz was on a similar strategy to Leclerc, and by the end of the race it was looking like Ferrari could enjoy a one-two finish. But just as he was about to make a move on Verstappen, Sainz’s engine failed and caught fire as he parked up at Turn 4.

Carlos Sainz pleaded with the stewards after his time penalty in the 2023 Australian Grand Prix

Sainz has had mixed fortunes in Melbourne over the years, but the 2023 Australian Grand Prix was certainly far from his happiest trip Down Under to date.

Ferrari initially saw Sainz make progress from P5 on the grid, before they pitted the Madrid native under the early safety car that was required after Williams’ Alex Albon crashed at Turn 7.

It proved to be a mistake to stop under the safety car, as race control would ultimately red flag the event to clear Albon’s stricken car.

Sainz overcame the setback caused by the red flags to climb back through the order and regain P4 before Haas’ Kevin Magnusen caused another stoppage by scattering debris after hitting the wall at Turn 2.

The drama was not over, though, as race control decided to use a standing start to resume the 2023 Australian GP on Lap 57 of 58.

Sainz then ran slightly deep into Turn 1, and he pitched Spanish compatriot Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin into a spin that ended the Oviedo native’s race.

The red flags were soon out again to recover Alonso’s car, just as his Aston Martin teammate, Stroll, ran deep and beached his car in the gravel at Turn 3. The marshals also had to clear the two Alpine cars after Pierre Gasly squeezed Esteban Ocon into the wall.

Sainz would eventually take the chequered flag in P4, but the FIA race stewards had slapped him with a five-second penalty for the collision with Alonso. The penalty demoted the Madrid native down the order to P12 as the final car still running at the finish.

An incandescent Sainz pleaded over Ferrari’s radio, begging the stewards to wait until after the race to make their decision. But the damage was already done, and Sainz claimed after the race that it was “the most unfair penalty I’ve seen in my life.”

Ferrari submitted a petition for the FIA to review Sainz’s penalty after the 2023 Australian GP, as Alonso was later classified in P3 due to the red flags effectively negating the final restart in which they touched, but their appeal was dismissed.

Carlos Sainz crashed on his Williams debut in the 2025 Australian Grand Prix

Sainz had an unusual farewell tour in 2024 after Ferrari announced before the season had started that he had lost his seat for 2025 to Lewis Hamilton. Williams eventually won the race to sign Sainz for 2025, as they sought to replace Logan Sargeant.

Sainz quickly made Ferrari question whether they had made the right decision, as he won the 2024 Australian Grand Prix just two weeks after undergoing emergency surgery for appendicitis.

But Melbourne would not be a happy hunting ground for Sainz in 2025, as his debut for Williams would not last one complete lap.

Heavy rainfall all morning in Melbourne made Albert Park extremely treacherous at the start of the race, as rookie Isack Hadjar found out when he crashed on the formation lap. Jack Doohan also crashed on the first lap of his first home race after spinning on a painted line.

Sainz was the third driver to see their race come to an abrupt end on Lap 1 of the 2025 Australian GP when he crashed at the final corner after the safety car had been called for.

A torque surge caused Sainz to crash on a day that his new teammate Albon made use of the horrible conditions to finish P5.

Sainz stuck around to help Albon in the 2025 Australian GP by offering the London-born Thai and Williams advice from the pit wall to guide their strategy.