Sainz: Verstappen Bahrain GP hit saved me from more dramatic problem

McLaren driver Sainz and Verstappen made contact at Turn 4 early in the race as the Spaniard attempted to pass Red Bull Formula 1 driver Verstappen for fifth position.

The clash left Sainz with a puncture and forced him to pit, dropping him to the bottom of the field.

Verstappen went on to finish fourth, and was only stopped from scoring a likely podium by a late safety car that prevented him for overtaking Charles Leclerc's ailing Ferrari, but McLaren retired Sainz's car with a couple of lap to go in the race.

Sainz revealed a points finish would have been unlikely because of a gearbox problem he had experienced all race long.

"I'm trying to look at the positives," said Sainz.

"[I had] a good start, a good first lap, the cars in front weren't opening the gap and I could stay with the top six without problems.

"Then I don't think we would have finished in the points because my gearbox failed all throughout the race.

"We had a gearbox problem that was making us lose almost a second per lap, so if I had overtaken Verstappen I would have been fifth and then suddenly I would have had the gearbox problem then it would have been even more dramatic."

When asked if he felt he had the pace to be on the podium, he said: "I prefer not to think about it."

Sainz labelled his clash with Verstappen as "racing", but said the Dutchman had hit him very hard.

"It's racing, it's incidents," he added.

"All I can say is that I started well, I did all I had to do and tried everything I had to try and I ended up worse off.

"It was my turn to get [a] puncture thanks to how hard he hit me.

"The normal thing would have been that we both got a puncture and to be both out of the race.

"He was lucky to continue, but he hit me really hard and that was it."

Stewards investigated the incident and deemed no further action was required.

Verstappen said Sainz had probably not seen him.

"He tried to go around the outside and braked late, I guess he didn't see me," he said.

"In these cars you are blind to what is happening next to you.

"I braked late and saw him turn into the corner, so I had to take avoiding action.

"We clipped wheels and it was unfortunate."