Carlos Sainz suffered a nasty crash in the eighth minute of FP2. After just finishing 4 laps, his crash took him out of the session and could have possible ramifications for tomorrow’s race. Considering the pace that Mercedes has in Abu Dhabi if Sainz gets another penalty, Ferrari can pretty much kiss their chances of a P2 constructors’ finish goodbye.

Former Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel also had a similar moment at the 2019 Monaco GP. Probably he had those haunting memories coming back to him after watching Sainz crash at Yas Marina. There were fears of the German driver not being able to participate in qualifying back then, but the Maranello mechanics did a great job of fixing his car.

Sebastian Vettel’s 2019 Monaco woes mirroring Carlos Sainz in Abu Dhabi?

Moments after Sainz crashed in FP3, Vettel posted his memories of the Monaco 2019 crash on Instagram, perhaps in solidarity. In fact, Monaco 2019 was one of the most crucial races for Vettel to show his masterclass. Coming off an extremely competitive 2018 season, Ferrari seemed to fall off a cliff in 2019. Their engine just didn’t seem to be enough to compete with Mercedes.

However, Monaco looked like just the track that they could capitalize on. If they managed to qualify ahead of the Mercedes duo of Bottas and Hamilton, they could have had a race win in their pockets.

However, during the early stages of FP3, Vettel misjudged the braking at Saint Devote and went straight onto the wall of Turn 1. While the crash looked like a pretty slow one to hit the walls, there were serious fears of Vettel not being able to compete in qualifying.

Against all odds, Ferrari’s mechanics put his car back together. Thankfully, Vettel didn’t have any penalties, and his performance was enough to secure him a start from P5 in the grid. He turned his weekend around with a spectacular Sunday drive, enabling him to finish P2 in the race.

Also read: Oscar Piastri Irritatedly Calls Out Carlos Sainz for “Dangerous” Driving at Abu Dhabi GP FP1

However, it remains to be seen if Sainz will have similar luck after his crash. After missing out on crucial running in FP2, the Spaniard will have to figure stuff out before qualifying & ensure the Scarlet cars aren’t going in the fight against Mercedes with one hand tied.

Crucial Race For Sainz

It cannot be understated how crucial this weekend is for Carlos Sainz. Not only is his team fighting for P2 in the constructors’, but he is also under immense pressure from Alonso, Norris, and Leclerc for his P4 spot in the drivers’ championship.

He will have to ensure that he has a clean race if he wants to stand a chance to notch both of these objectives in the drivers’ & constructors’ championships. However, his FP2 crash sends a bad signal for the Maranello team. It remains to be seen if they have to make any changes to the battery or other limited parts. If they do, then it’s pretty much game over for Carlos, as he has to fight back from the penalty as well.

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Add that on to the fact that Abu Dhabi is historically Mercedes-favored, and the pace in the two practices seems extremely competitive, and all eyes will be on Sainz