Carlos Sainz Jr.: Retires due to damage

Sainz retired after the 45th lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix F1 race at the Bahrain International Circuit on Sunday.

Analysis:

Sainz's weekend was a mix of good and bad. He reached Q3 for only the second time and beat teammate Alex Albon in qualifying for the first time. However, he slid back from his eighth-place start and had several clashes with opposing drivers. The first came on an attempted overtake of Kimi Antonelli, though Sainz drew a controversial 10-second penalty for forcing his rival off the track. Later, he went wheel-to-wheel with Yuki Tsunoda and suffered significant damage to the side of his car, ultimately forcing his retirement from the race. Despite the poor finish, the weekend should be considered a step forward overall.