Sainz ‘too disappointed to think about tomorrow’ after Q1 exit in Canada as he rues Hadjar impeding incident

Carlos Sainz was left “extremely disappointed” by his Q1 exit in Qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix, with the Williams driver admitting that he did not feel ready to think about race day after the difficult end to his session in which he was impeded by Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar.

The weekend had started in promising fashion for Williams, as both Sainz and Alex Albon displayed good pace during free practice in Montreal. However, Qualifying came undone for Sainz in the early stages.

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As well as experiencing a wide moment during his flying lap, the Spaniard also voiced his frustration after encountering a slow-moving Hadjar, leading to the Racing Bulls driver being investigated for potential impeding after the session. He was subsequently handed a three-place grid drop for the incident.

Sainz ultimately exited in P17 and admitted that he was upset to see what had been a strong start at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve unravel on Saturday.

“I’m honestly very disappointed,” the 30-year-old explained after Qualifying. “That’s a very good weekend up until now gone in one simple impeding.

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“[I was] 20 milliseconds off Q2 with a lap that I got impeded three or four tenths into not only [Turns] 3 and 4 but also Turns 6 and 7, so two times. [I’m] extremely disappointed because your weekend is over with something that is out of your control, but it is what it is.”

When pushed on how he is feeling about his prospects for Sunday’s Grand Prix – given that the car had shown decent pace throughout the weekend – Sainz responded: “I’ll try my best, but I’m too disappointed right now to think about tomorrow.”

Hadjar went on to apologise for what he called a “misunderstanding”, having said following Qualifying: “It’s very simple. I got told he aborted [the lap].

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“I was on a fast in-lap as well, so I didn’t move out the way. It’s something we’re all used to doing, but somehow he was still on a push lap. It’s a misunderstanding, but honestly nothing I could have done. I’m sorry for him.”