Sainz calls for faster F1 fire response after Austrian GP scare
Ferrari Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz hopes marshals will be able to respond more quickly to blazes in the future after suffering a fire scare during Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix.


Sainz was about to challenge Max Verstappen for second place when his engine went up in smoke with 15 laps to go, and the Spaniard immediately pulled over at Turn 4.
The back of his Ferrari F1-75 was quickly engulfed in flames as Sainz was frantically waving at the marshals to attend to him.
But while he was keen to get out of his burning car, Turn 4's dramatic slope meant the car started rolling backwards as soon as he took his foot off the brakes. Only after a marshal threw a chock behind his front right wheel could the Spaniard climb out safely.
Sainz said that he was initially reluctant to jump out and leave his Ferrari rolling down the hill out of control, but at some point the fire became so intense that he had no choice but to bail out.
"Yeah, it was not an ideal and an easy situation for sure," he said.
"I saw in my mirrors that the car was catching fire. But at the same time, I was pressing the brake.
"And as soon as I tried to jump out, I saw that the car was running backwards, and I didn't want to leave the car completely free out of control rolling backwards while jumping out.
"I was calling the marshals to come and help me, to put something on the tyres to stop the car rolling down but I think the whole process was a bit slow.
"And at some point, there was so much fire that I had to really get a move on and jump out independently. I think it was just at that time that the first marshal arrived and stopped the car."

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari, walks away from his car after a fire
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
The sluggish response from the corner marshals drew criticism from observers, especially from members of the IndyCar paddock whose AMR safety team is known for its incredibly rapid arrival at the scene of an incident.
Penske driver Scott McLaughlin, the winner of IndyCar's most recent race at Mid-Ohio, tweeted it was "crazy how long that took for people to help Carlos Sainz there, thank you to the IndyCar safety [team]".
Sainz agreed that the FIA should look into what can be done to speed up the safety response in similar incidents.
"Yeah, it's definitely something we want to look at; what we could have done a bit faster, because it was not the easiest situation to be in," he added.
At the time, Sainz had a sizeable pace and tyre advantage over Verstappen, meaning he would have likely finished second behind race-winning team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Sainz admitted he was "lost for words" after the latest round of Ferrari reliability woes in 2022, one week on from taking his maiden win in Silverstone.
Related video

Austria F1 drivers’ briefing "going in circles" before Vettel stormed out
F1 drivers play down flare concerns after Austrian GP

Latest news
Daytona 24: Westbrook’s Ganassi Cadillac tops second practice
Richard Westbrook ensured Cadillac’s new V-LMDh snagged top spot in second practice for the Daytona 24 Hours, ahead of the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Andretti Autosport Acura.
Auer suffers back injury in Daytona 24 practice shunt
Mercedes driver Lucas Auer has suffered a back injury and been taken to hospital following a violent crash in opening practice for this weekend's Daytona 24 Hours.
Daytona 24: WTR Acura tops heavily interrupted FP1
Five red flags disrupted the first practice session for this weekend's Daytona 24 Hours, while Filipe Albuquerque put the Wayne Taylor Racing Andretti Autosport Acura on top.
Pedrosa to make KTM MotoGP wildcard outing in Spanish GP
Dani Pedrosa will make his first MotoGP race start since the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix with a wildcard entry for KTM at this year’s Spanish GP in April.
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? LUKE SMITH asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
When F1 ‘holiday’ races kept drivers busy through the winter
Modern Formula 1 fans have grown accustomed to a lull in racing during winter in the northern hemisphere. But, as MAURICE HAMILTON explains, there was a time when teams headed south of the equator rather than bunkering down in the factory. And why not? There was fun to be had, money to be made and reputations to forge…
What Porsche social media frenzy says about F1’s manufacturer allure
Porsche whipped up a frenzy thanks to a cryptic social media post last week and, although it turned out to be a false alarm, it also highlighted why manufacturers remain such an important element in terms of the attraction that they bring to F1. It is little wonder that several other manufacturers are bidding for a slice of the action
Why the new Williams boss shouldn’t avoid ‘Mercedes B-team’ comparisons
OPINION: Williams has moved to replace the departed Jost Capito by appointing former Mercedes chief strategist James Vowles as its new team principal. But while he has sought to play down the idea of moulding his new squad into a vision of his old one, some overlap is only to be expected and perhaps shouldn't be shied away from
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.