Carlos Sainz disaster after heavy Canadian GP crash and FIA investigation

Carlos Sainz escaped a grid penalty after being investigated for allegedly impeding Alex Albon during FP3, a session he ended up crashing out of altogether.

The FIA took no further action against the Spaniard, even though Albon had to take avoiding action into the final chicane in order ensure another crash didn’t occur prior to Sainz’s eventual spin and off.

Albon believed it to be not the first occasion Sainz had hindered him during FP3 in Montreal on Saturday, the Williams driver quick to come onto team radio and complain, saying: “That has to go to the stewards now. It’s the same guy again.”

Sainz and Ferrari had been showing pace in FP3 up to that point, with he and Charles Leclerc going well in the wet around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

But soon after his near-miss with Albon, Sainz crashed out – his car snapping into a slide under braking at Turn 1, he was left as a passenger as he collided with the barrier on the right-hand side of the track.

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This left his SF-23 without a front wing at all and significant damage for his team to fix before qualifying, bringing out the red flag in the process for a short stoppage in the session.

The Spaniard apologised to his team for the crash over team radio, with an investigation from the stewards eventually clearing him of any wrongdoing.

Alpine driver Pierre Gasly was given two separate three-place grid penalties at the Spanish Grand Prix a fortnight ago for two similar offences.