Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz radioed during the Formula 1 race in Austin that he smelled gasoline in the car, but whether there was a technical problem is still unclear.
Lap 9 in the 2024 United States Grand Prix in Austin: Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz reports by radio and lets his team know: “It smells like gasoline in the car.” Everything points to a technical problem with the SF-24, especially since Sainz is also complaining of a loss of power. However, he continues and finishes second behind his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
So there was no problem at all? Yes. Sainz said later in the press conference: “I had some kind of problem during one lap, which meant that I had very little power available when exiting the corners. I lost a few seconds there, mainly because of the [then missing] DRS behind Max [Verstappen].
“That put me in that window of 1.5 to three seconds behind the guy in front, and that’s the worst for the tires and the car balance. So I had to be patient until the pit stops, and then we were able to undercut [Verstappen].” Which put Sainz in second place, behind Leclerc but ahead of Verstappen.
So Sainz no longer spoke of the smell of gasoline after the race. But his Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur did: “He smelled gasoline in the car. That was strange, but we still don’t know why. We couldn’t see anything clearly on the data. And it was back to normal after three or four corners.”
Five years ago, Sainz’s Ferrari predecessor Sebastian Vettel also smelled something in the race car at the same place, namely marijuana and “like crazy” in turns 1 and 11, according to Vettel at the time. He retired with suspension damage after just a few laps in 2019.
Anders Sainz 2024: After finishing second in the sprint, the Ferrari driver also took second place in the Grand Prix. “Actually, we were fast all weekend. That’s why it upsets me that I’m still leaving without a win,” says Sainz. “On the other hand, Charles did very well and put himself in a position to win right after the start in turn 1.”
