Carlos Sainz’s miserable Austrian Grand Prix weekend came to a smoky end as his Williams Formula 1 car stalled on the grid, then set on fire at the end of the pitlane.
Sainz was starting down in 19th place, having reported brake issues and picked up underfloor damage that made the car “undriveable” during a tricky qualifying on Saturday.
His hopes of recovering on Sunday were dashed when his car stalled on the grid at the start of the formation lap.
Race control aborted the start, and while Sainz did get moving, he reported further brake issues.
"I feel like the car is still braking," Sainz told his engineer once he got underway.
He returned to the pitlane, but by the time he reached the end of it, the rear brakes on his Williams set on fire.
The fire was quickly put out by the marshals but Sainz's participation in the grand prix ended before it began, with extensive damage that his Williams team was never going to have time to repair before the delayed start of the race 15 minutes later.
Williams's race soon got even worse as Alex Albon was called in to retire just after his first pitstop, having benefitted from a first-lap mess to jump into contention for a solid points finish.
