Carlos Sainz Retires From Austrian GP After Car Fire
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Williams Racing driver Carlos Sainz faced a huge issue at the start of the Austrian Grand Prix formation lap, leading him to retire from the race. This comes a day after Sainz faced technical problems during qualifying that led him to start P19.
The Spaniard couldn't get his FW47 going in the formation lap as he reported being unable to slot his car into first gear. The yellow flags were waved as he struggled to start his lap.
Eventually, he finished the formation lap and entered the pit lane only to find his rear brakes on fire. The Williams crew put the fire out but declared on the radio that his race was over.
Carlos Sainz of Spain and Williams looks on in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 26, 2025 in Spielberg, Austria.
Carlos Sainz of Spain and Williams looks on in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 26, 2025 in Spielberg, Austria.Sky Sports F1's Karun Chandhok said about the incident:
"That is such a deflating moment for the drivers. I had that a couple times in my career.
"You do all your pre-race prep then something goes wrong. It's like a massive balloon that just goes pop, not just for Sainz but all of the engineers."
With daytime temperatures soaring at the Red Bull Ring, Fernando Alonso, who starts in 11th place, reported some discomfort during the second race restart. He said:
"I cannot tell you the temperature of the seat. It's maybe, I don't know, 200 degrees."
The incident follows Sainz's challenges the previous day in qualifying, where he reported on the team radio that the car was "undriveable."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
22 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Flailing Sergio Garcia Clinches Spot at The Open Despite Poor LIV Dallas Finish
Sergio Garcia showed signs of his game recovering at LIV Golf Dallas after three months of largely disappointing results. The Spaniard finished tied for 25th at Maridoe Golf Club with a 3-over score for the tournament. However, Garcia's most important achievement of the week was securing his spot in The Open Championship, the final major of the season. "I'm excited about it, and hopefully I'll play well," he said after his final round performance. Garcia literally had to wait until the final hole of LIV Golf Dallas to secure his ticket to The Open. At the start of the round, David Puig was tied for fourth and had he finished solo fourth or better, he would have overtaken his compatriot and qualified himself. However, Puig faded during the third round and dropped nine places to 13th. After the Dallas event, Garcia sits fifth in the league's individual standings, behind Joaquin Niemann, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Patrick Reed. As you may recall, the R&A implemented a new policy this season: a direct spot in The Open Championship field is awarded to the highest-ranked player among the top five in LIV Golf who is not otherwise exempt. The ticket falls to Garcia, as Niemann (top 25 in the 2024 DP World Tour's Race to Dubai), Rahm (major winner in the last five years), DeChambeau (major winner in the last five years), and Reed (runner-up in the International Series Macau) are already qualified. "It's going to be my second time playing at Royal Portrush, and it's obviously nice," Garcia said about his opportunity to play in the Open Championship. "It's one of the goals that you have at the beginning of the year, to try to play as many majors as you can with the limitations that we get." "I didn't help myself very much the last three months, but I'm glad that I got enough work done in the first third of the year, I guess, in the first part of the season." Earlier this season, Sergio Garcia named the Open Championship as his "favorite major" and declared his firm intention to qualify through the new option introduced by the R&A. Although his early-season results put him on the right path to achieving that goal-one win and two top-10 finishes in the first five tournaments-he hasn't been the same since April. In the three events immediately preceding Dallas, his best finish was a tie for 38th in Virginia. Adding to that slump, he missed the cut at the Masters Tournament, finished tied for 67th at the PGA Championship, and failed to qualify for the U.S. Open. This will mark Garcia's 26th appearance at The Open Championship, where he has finished in the top 10 ten times, including two runner-up finishes (2007, 2014), his best results to date. More Golf: Padraig Harrington Shows Stones for U.S. Senior Open Title Related Articles Jake Knapp Suffers Painful Finish at PGA Tour's Rocket ClassicAldrich Potgieter Reflects on Sacrifices as Dad Fails to Control TearsChris Kirk 'Disappointed' after Blowing PGA Tour Chance at Rocket ClassicRocket Classic: $9.6M Payout as Aldrich Potgieter Claims 1st PGA Tour Win 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Video Shows Pioneer Flight in Race to Start Electric Air Taxi Service
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The United Arab Emirates has taken another jump in the race to launch an electric air taxi service, completing its first test flight in Dubai with California-based Joby Aviation. Newsweek has reached out to Joby Aviation for comment. Why It Matters The Middle East's most tech-driven nation is racing to bring flying taxis to the skies, with its federal capital Abu Dhabi and commercial hub of Dubai each backing separate U.S. companies. As a key business ally of the United States and President Donald Trump — along with his family business — the UAE is putting American technology at the center of the global push for urban air mobility—potentially opening new international markets for U.S. aerospace firms. Two Joby air taxis (N541JX and N544JX) flying simultaneously in the skies over Marina, CA. Two Joby air taxis (N541JX and N544JX) flying simultaneously in the skies over Marina, CA. Joby Aviation photo/AP What To Know Dubai has successfully conducted the region's first test flight of the Joby Aviation air taxi, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai announced Monday on his account on X, formerly Twitter. Dubai has successfully completed the region's first test flight of the Joby Aerial Taxi. Conducted through a collaboration between the Roads and Transport Authority and Joby Aviation, the test flight marks a major step toward launching full operations next year. The all-electric… — Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) June 30, 2025 According to the Dubai government's media office, the flying taxi would reduce a 45-minute trip to just 12 minutes, focusing on transport within the city. Joby is developing a zero-emission, four-passenger eVTOL that can reach 200 mph and fly up to 100 miles on a single charge. It was the first eVTOL company to receive airworthiness approval from the U.S. Air Force in 2020. While Abu Dhabi positions itself to become the first Middle Eastern city to operate flying taxis, aircraft testing is expected to begin later this year. The capital recently received flight simulators from U.S.-based Archer Aviation, focusing on routes between cities in a key step in preparations and pilot training. Both Joby and Archer plan to launch their air taxi services first in their home state — California. What People Are Saying Dubai crown prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on X: "This pioneering project is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the UAE's position as a global hub for innovation and advanced technology deployment." Anthony el-Khoury, Joby Aviation's General Manager for the Middle East wrote on LinkedIn: "After months of preparation, I'm incredibly proud to share that our aircraft has been flying piloted, inhabited flights in the skies of Dubai. This marks a major milestone—not just for aviation, but for our vision of bringing aerial taxis to life in this city. What was once a bold ambition is now becoming a reality. A huge thank you to the amazing teams in Dubai and the US who worked relentlessly to make this possible." What Happens Next Dubai plans to fully launch the service next year while Abu Dhabi is also ramping up its preparations.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Red Bull's Austria GP unraveling raises fresh questions
SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA — The Austrian Grand Prix slipped through Red Bull's fingertips, its Sunday going from bad to worse despite bringing a minor upgrade to Max Verstappen's car. This wasn't just any race for the team. At the center of the track, nestled in the Styrian mountains, stands a massive bull with gold horns jumping through an arch — a physical reminder of the circuit's name: Red Bull Ring. Back in 2004, the late co-founder of the energy drink company, Dietrich Mateschitz, bought what was the A1 Ring and revamped the location, bringing Formula One back to Spielberg in 2014. Advertisement Red Bull has dominated this track in recent years. Verstappen has won five times at Red Bull Ring and has four pole positions, both of which are records at the track. Red Bull Racing is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Austria is home. And Sunday's race, where Verstappen didn't complete a full racing lap and Yuki Tsunoda finished two laps down, was 'a home race to forget,' team principal Christian Horner said, after the team ended the day point-less. Verstappen didn't make it past Turn 3 before his grand prix ended, at no fault of his own. And the stewards appeared to agree. The Dutchman entered the race knowing a podium finish would be hard to achieve from seventh on the grid. He was unable to set a final flying lap in qualifying after Pierre Gasly spun, triggering yellow flags and keeping Verstappen from being able to improve his Q3 time. Then came Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes rookie started ninth and darted out from behind Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson as the grid headed towards Turn 3. It was a move to avoid a collision, Antonelli told the stewards, and he 'released the brakes for a short period of time to do so.' But he ended up on the inside line, which had less grip, making it difficult for the teenager to decelerate in time for the corner. He locked up the rear brakes and collided with Verstappen, ending both of their days. The stewards found Antonelli 'fully at fault,' handing him a three-place grid drop for next weekend's British Grand Prix, and he owned his mistake. A post shared by FORMULA 1® (@f1) Verstappen confirmed the two of them had spoken, even beyond what was captured as the drivers walked off the track. With his first DNF since the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, he now faces a 61-point gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri with 13 race weekends to go. The pressure then fell on Tsunoda to fight his way into points after starting 18th, his third Q1 exit in the last five races but the closest lap time to Verstappen since the early-season driver swap. Advertisement Tsunoda told reporters after the race that the RB21 'feels amazing' in the first few laps. But then, 'the tire is just melting lap by lap, corner by corner. Whatever I do, it's melting every lap, and I'm feeling less grip lap by lap. In that situation, it's really hard to maintain the pace.' The Japanese driver said he tried different ways all weekend to address the issue, but nothing worked. He wouldn't call the car bad, but said he was still trying to figure out where he was going wrong. 'The pace itself was pretty poor as well,' Tsunoda said. 'I'm not sure I'm doing completely wrong, to be honest, but the pace data between the level I have to be in is massive.' While the race pace may have been lacking, Tsunoda didn't exactly help matters either, ending up in numerous battles with Franco Colapinto. They tangled at least once, Tsunoda making contact with the Alpine driver and sending him spinning. Both continued racing, but Tsunoda received a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision. He served the penalty on Lap 62 and finished last among those who completed the race (but officially P16 after three pit stops). 'Yuki had a horrible race,' Horner told reporters. Tsunoda took responsibility for the collision with Colapinto and apologized to the team in a post-race interview with the written media. Asked whether he had the full support of the team, he responded with one word: 'Yes.' Tsunoda's one-lap qualifying pace has improved, but his race pace is lacking, something he attributed to the tires not 'holding at all' and lacking grip. Red Bull has already done a driver swap once this season, replacing Lawson with Tsunoda after two grands prix. Horner was asked post-race if races like Austria made him reconsider the second car, given the performance gap between the two. Advertisement 'We'll look to see how we can support him, but there's a big delta between the two cars,' Horner said. The team principal did admit that internally they are asking why that gap exists and added that 'obviously the car has evolved over the years in a specific direction. But we'll see if we can help Yuki and rebuild his confidence in Silverstone.' Unlike in recent years of Red Bull dominance, the RB21 has been a struggle to drive at times this season. McLaren is now the team that's in a league of its own, seemingly untouchable in Austria, while Red Bull is left trying to figure out what it can do in the last year of the current regulations. 'I still believe that we have strength and depth in this team. Unfortunately, we haven't seen the performance come that we would like,' Horner said. 'But it's the same fundamental group of people that 18 months ago had designed a car that won every single grand prix but one. They didn't suddenly just become idiots overnight. 'So, you have to acknowledge the great job that McLaren are doing and congratulations to them. But, for us, it's just about working harder because everybody is working incredibly hard. 'It's just working smarter. And let's see over the next few races.' Teams will soon need to switch their focus solely to 2026, a move that Williams made before this season even began. With 13 races to go, Red Bull is up against the clock to unlock performance and improve its pace. 'We'll see if we can find it,' Verstappen said. The RB21's issues have carried over from last year, where Red Bull struggled to find the right balance. The hotter temperatures, as was the case in Austria, only exacerbate the tire issues as well. It remains to be seen how the floor upgrade will perform, as only Verstappen had it in Austria. However, with three races to go before the summer break, is it enough time to unlock something for the second half of the season? 'Is it enough to challenge McLaren? I'm not sure,' Verstappen told reporters. 'Probably not. But I also don't want to sound depressed.' (Top photos of Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen:, Jure Makeovec/AFP via Getty Images)
