Carlos Sainz’s Bahrain Grand Prix came to an early end following a collision with Yuki Tsunoda, which led to his retirement from the race.

Starting from P8, Sainz initially made a strong start but struggled as the race progressed, falling behind and battling with drivers like Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

At the halfway point, Sainz was involved in a fight with Tsunoda when a slip from the Red Bull driver resulted in contact and debris from the damage sustained by Tsunoda’s car. Despite continuing, Sainz’s race took another blow with a 10-second penalty for forcing Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli off the track during a Safety Car restart.

The damage and penalties led to Sainz retiring from the race, marking a frustrating evening in Sakhir. Reflecting on the race, Sainz admitted that battling against faster cars led to increased tire degradation and ultimately cost him a shot at a better result.