Carlos Sainz Jr. believes his early clash with Max Verstappen in Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix avoided a likely retirement due to an impending gearbox problem. Sainz Jr. moved up to sixth place on the opening lap and challenged Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on the fourth lap, but the pair made contact through Turn 4. The resultant damage to Sainz Jr.’s car forced him into an unscheduled pit stop and the time loss meant he spent much of the race at the rear of the field, before retiring with four laps left. But he feels the collision with Verstappen ultimately prevented a more painful demise. “I had a problem in the gearbox on lap 10, I was losing synchronisation of the...
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