F1 News: Carlos Sainz "Couldn't Feel His Legs" After Las Vegas GP FP1 Crash

Max Verstappen slams Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff for his controversial comments on Carlos Sainz's FP1 incident.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen spoke out on the Carlos Sainz FP1 saga by stressing how much more dangerous it could have been since the Ferrari driver was unable to "feel his legs" after the crash. Passing a jibe at the Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, the championship winner also said that he would not have brushed off the incident if it happened to one of his cars. 

Sainz had to stop the car immediately after it hit a drain cover at speeds exceeding 300 kph, which destroyed the underbody floor and components of the power unit within nine minutes of running in FP1.

The incident faced considerable criticism from the Formula 1 community and fans due to the perceived lack of preparation and thorough checks that could have averted the incident. Despite the serious occurrence, Wolff shut down a reporter rather angrily, when he was asked for his views. He said:

"It's completely ridiculous, completely ridiculous! FP1, how can you even dare try to talk bad about an event that sets new standards, new standards to everything? And then you're speaking about a f***ing drain cover that's been undone, that has happened before. That's nothing. It's FP1."

Hitting back at Wolff in an interview with Viaplay, three-time-championship winner Verstappen claimed that the Mercedes team boss's reaction would not have been the same if it was one of his cars that suffered damage. He said:

"That is of course, true, that it has happened before but you are supposed to learn from that. You know that when you go to street circuits such things cause problems. So you should be prepared for that. And I think if this was his car, he would have spoken differently. But I don't expect anything less from him.

He added that if Wolff was in Ferrari's position, he would've been furious at the damage and the potential threat the incident carried toward the driver. Verstappen said:

“We’d have been angry too, just like Ferrari. The entire car is f***ed. Carlos also said he couldn’t feel his leg for a few seconds. The accident could have been way worse.”

Verstappen has been candid about the Las Vegas Grand Prix from the beginning, openly providing feedback where needed. The question now is whether the FIA will implement the necessary measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.