Max P17, Sainz to medical centre after severe crash

Published on 10 October 2015 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen finished the final free practice session for the Russian Grand Prix in P17. The session was curtailed 15 minutes early due to a heavy crash of his team mate Carlos Sainz. At the front, Nico Rosberg claimed the top spot ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton.

When the light at the end of the Sochi Autodrom pit lane jumps to green, the conditions are dry and sunny. Home favourite Daniil Kvyat is the first driver on track. The Toro Rosso's head out on different compounds. Max bolts on the softs with Sainz opting for the super softs.

Twenty minutes in, we see Max oversteer past the final turn but he manages to keep his car out the walls. Up until the Spaniard's crash, Max' half spin is one of the very few minor incidents in a session that is best described as uneventful with most teams choosing to complete long runs ahead of Sunday's race.

With 15 minutes left on the clock, Max leaves the pits on the faster super soft Pirellis. It is to be a short run as the session is red flagged. Carlos Sainz has lost control and buried his STR10 under a Tecpro barrier at turn 13. The tyre marks hint at the Spaniard struggling before reaching the corner.

After almost 15 minutes, Sainz is carried on a stretcher into an ambulance with the Toro Rosso driver giving a thumbs up. He is transferred to the medical centre where doctors will decide if the youngster is cleared to race in tomorrow's Russian Grand Prix.

Sochi Autodrom - Russian Grand Prix - Saturday 10 October

 P No Driver             Team          Time       Gap        Laps
 1  6 Nico Rosberg       Mercedes      1:38.561              15
 2 77 Valtteri Bottas    Williams      1:39.287   +0.726s    17
 3 44 Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes      1:39.363   +0.802s    13
 4 11 Sergio Perez       Force India   1:39.616   +1.055s    14
 5 19 Felipe Massa       Williams      1:39.875   +1.314s    14
 6 27 Nico Hulkenberg    Force India   1:39.917   +1.356s    14
 7 22 Jenson Button      McLaren       1:40.581   +2.020s    12
 8 13 Pastor Maldonado   Lotus         1:40.767   +2.206s    13
 9 14 Fernando Alonso    McLaren       1:41.200   +2.639s    11
10 12 Felipe Nasr        Sauber        1:41.229   +2.668s    14
11 26 Daniil Kvyat       Red Bull      1:41.358   +2.797s    15
12  7 Kimi Räikkönen     Ferrari       1:42.297   +3.736s    11
13  8 Romain Grosjean    Lotus         1:42.371   +3.810s    14
14  9 Marcus Ericsson    Sauber        1:42.450   +3.889s    14
15 55 Carlos Sainz       Toro Rosso    1:42.683   +4.122s    19
16  5 Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari       1:42.686   +4.125s    11
17 33 Max Verstappen     Toro Rosso    1:43.089   +4.528s    16
18  3 Daniel Ricciardo   Red Bull      1:43.347   +4.786s    14
19 98 Roberto Merhi      Marussia      1:46.767   +8.206s    19
20 28 Will Stevens       Marussia      1:47.249   +8.688s    18

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