Sainz “unlucky” to enter F1 with Verstappen

In brief

Sainz “unlucky” to enter F1 alongside Verstappen – Marko

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko says Sainz was “unlucky” to enter Formula 1 with Verstappen as a team mate when the pair joined the grid as rookies together at Toro Rosso in 2015. While Verstappen was promoted to Red Bull the following year, Sainz never got the chance to graduate to the top team. Red Bull eventually released him and he joined Ferrari in 2021.

“Sainz is, without a doubt, a great driver,” Marko told Marca. “He was almost on par with Max in Toro Rosso. The bad thing for him is that he was unlucky to have Verstappen as a team mate

“The atmosphere between the two at Toro Rosso was quite toxic. With the configuration we had then, I didn’t see a way to keep him with us, so Carlos went through Renault, McLaren and then he ended up at Ferrari.”

Grosjean’s Lamborghini test ends in fire

Romain Grosjean escaped unharmed after his Lamborghini hypercar caught fire during the pre-Daytona 24 Hours test event.

The Iron Lynx-operated LMDh Lamborghini, which will compete in this year’s IMSA championship, suffered a fire in the pit lane during the weekend’s test. Grosjean, who survived a horrific fire in his final Formula 1 race in Bahrain in 2020, quickly exited the car without difficulty.

The number 31 Cadillac of Pipo Derani, Jack Aitken and Tom Blomqvist secured pole position for this weekend’s 24 hour endurance race.

Pagenaud unsure when he can race again

Simon Pagenaud says he remains unsure when he will be able to race again as he continues his recovery from a violent IndyCar accident in 2023.

The 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner was injured in a high speed accident at Mid-Ohio in practice last year which saw him barrel rolling through the gravel.

“Due to the accident, I couldn’t continue my season which meant that I only did eight races in 2023,” he said in a post on his website. “Ever since, I have been concentrating on getting my health back to 100%. For that, I have been working closely with a great team of doctors and I have been progressing every day.

“I don’t know yet if I will be back behind a wheel in 2024 nor if I am ready for it. I want to take things slowly to make sure that when I come back, I am at my very best again.”

Scholarship prize for F1 in Schools winners

The British winners of this year’s F1 in Schools national finals will receive an…