Sainz’s father demands helicopter turns around and returns him to race

Carlos Sainz’s father ordered a helicopter that was rushing him to hospital to turn around in mid-air and take him back to the race he had crashed in.

James Dielhenn

10 Jan 2023

Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP) Ferrari in the FIA Press Conference. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 19, United States Grand Prix, — Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP) Ferrari in the FIA Press Conference. Formula 1…

Sainz Sr had crashed his Audi RS Q e-tron buggy at the famous Dakar Rally after landing awkwardly over a sand dune.

Suffering from pain in his chest, the father of the Ferrari driver was taken to hospital via helicopter.

Staggeringly, Sainz Sr changed his mind in mid-air and demanded that the helicopter turned around to return him to the scene of the crash.

He is currently back at the Dakar Rally with teammate Lucas Cruz waiting for an assistance vehicle.

The remarkable turn of events happened at the beginning of the second stage on Tuesday.

Sainz Sr had already been involved in a separate crash at the Dakar Rally. He and teammate Cruz could be seen desperately trying to fix their own car.

And his son, Ferrari F1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr, also caused a stir.

Sainz Sr received an official warning when the door to his car was closed by his son. This was illegal because Sainz Jr is not a part of the Audi team.