"I was in God's hands" - Carlos Sainz reacts to being stranded on track during 2022 F1 Japanese GP

Carlos Sainz had a disastrous 2022 F1 Japanese GP on Sunday. The Ferrari driver looked strong going into the race, starting third on the grid. The rain, however, came crashing down on his race and the Spaniard aquaplaned on the wet track and went into the barriers.

Sainz spoke to the media post-crash and revealed how he felt during the moment. The Spaniard claimed he was in God's hands at the time and had barely survived. He said:

"The real problem came when I stopped in the middle of the track and the other cars were coming. I knew they couldn’t see me. I was in God's hands."

The Ferrari driver had a decent start to the race and was rounding out the famous Suzuka Turn 11 when he lost control of his rear and spun out. All the cars passed the stuck Ferrari on track with the driver left praying inside. He said:

"I’m not too worried, obviously disappointed for crashing the car. But at the same time, conditions were impossible. I was aquaplaning with intermediate tyres, and then it sent me into a spin. Then you’re praying no one behind hits you."

Carlos Sainz hit back at the fans who were calling out the FIA for not racing in wet conditions when the wet tires were available last weekend in Singapore. He went on to explain the complications of racing in the rain, saying:

"The best would’ve been rolling start with extreme wets. But then they call us ‘why doesn’t F1 drive in the wet? But how can you drive an F1 car at 300kph without visibility."

Carlos Sainz also spoke about the presence of a tractor on the track and how it should not have been there if the race was red flagged and the drivers were coming in. The Spaniard said:

"Still behind the safety car, we’re going at 150kph, and still we cannot see anything. If a driver has small aquaplaning, or gets out of the racing line, and hits a tractor, it’s over. Why risk a tractor on track? They were going to red flag anyway."

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Carlos Sainz believes the intermediate tires were wrong for the extreme weather

Carlos Sainz believes that the extreme rain during the race start proved too much for his intermediate tires. The Spaniard had no grip and lost his rear after trying to leave the water curtain of Sergio Perez in front and encountering a puddle of water. The Spaniard said:

"Basically, by the time we started the race we were on inters but the track was nearly into extreme conditions. I had no visibility, so I tried to get out of Checo’s [Sergio Perez’s] slipstream, or Checo’s water curtain, and suddenly I found myself in a puddle and had aquaplaning and lost the car."

Thankfully, Carlos Sainz did not suffer any injuries and is alright. All of Ferrari's hopes for this race now sit with Charles Leclerc, who displayed some brilliant driving during the start of the race. The Monagasque passed polesitter Max Verstappen before the Dutch retook the lead with an astonishing defensive move. The race has restarted after a long delay and will run till the clock hits the two hour mark.