11/10/2015
NEWS STORY
Given the all-clear to race in Russia, Carlos Sainz is delighted but won't take unnecessary risks.
"There are no bruises, but as you can imagine I am a bit stiff, and a bit sore from yesterday," Sainz told reporters ahead of the race. "But it is nothing that a painkiller cannot cure.
"For sure, I will start the race, and if I cannot move my neck or something I will stop," he added, "but I feel perfectly capable of doing the start and participating in the race and going for it.
"The accident was a tough one but it is already at the back of my mind," he insisted. "Turn 13 on the first lap will be a bit emotional, but from then on it will all be back to normal. I am more than ready to race and my mind is telling me all the time to race... to race... to race. And that is the best thing I can do at the moment.
"For sure, I will remember when I go for my first time in Turn 13, but it will be one time and then it will be forgotten for sure."
Speaking on Saturday night, as the investigation into the accident and the circumstances surrounding it, continued, team boss Franz Tost revealed: "Prior to the accident, Carlos had completed a long-run on the option tyre, before changing to the prime to do two further laps. On primes the grip level is lower.
"In addition he had changed the brake shape on the steering wheel, which meant he had more braking rearwards. A combination of these two factors might have been the cause of the rears locking, which made the car uncontrollable."
"The first thing I did when I got to the hospital was look at the crash to see what exactly happened, even though I could remember," said Sainz this morning.
"I remember perfectly changing my brake shape before Turn 13 and just when hitting the brakes lost the rear of the car, hitting the first barrier and approaching the next barrier. I remember everything perfectly, fortunately or unfortunately. I watched the accident, I saw everything happened as my mind was remembering, so that's good news"
The team has revealed that when he lost control of the car Sainz was running at 190 mph (307 km/h) and his first impact with the wall on the left of the track at 126 mph (204 km/h), finally hitting the Tecpro barrier at 93 mph (150 km/h) with an impact recorded at 46G.
Check out our Sunday gallery, here.