Carlos Sainz details damage after Lewis Hamilton clash "compromised" Brazil GP

Carlos Sainz looks ahead to Las Vegas for a better weekend

Williams driver Carlos Sainz has confirmed that his Brazilian Grand Prix was compromised after contact with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton at the start of the race left him with front-wing damage. With him nursing the damage, he played catch-up for the rest of the race at Interlagos.

“Yeah, I think I got squeezed by... I think it was Lewis on the outside and I picked up front-wing damage that compromised my race for the rest of the race," he reported.

"I was a lot of points down on my front wing and as a consequence the rest of the car. But yeah, we managed to stay in the race, managed to stay in the hunt for points.

"Then a slow pitstop when we were going to undercut a few cars, also another step back. And from there, yeah, just always chasing the points. We were always P11, P12, P11, P12, hanging on there with a damaged car.

"In the end we were just a few seconds away from the points, which probably without the damage and without the slow pitstop potentially we could have been there. At least the car, until then, it felt a lot better than the rest of the weekend."

The Grove outfit opted not to replace the front wing.

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing, Carlos Sainz, Williams, Alexander Albon, Williams

Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

“No, we would have lost too much time and you're better off adding flaps, trying to compensate it and going for it.”

Despite this, the Spaniard felt good this Sunday after missing Thursday's media sessions with sickness.

“Today is the first day I felt 100%, and actually the car also felt a lot better today,” he confirmed. With Las Vegas beginning this season's final trio of races, he's looking forward to a track that will suit his machinery.

“For me, as a team it's just important to understand how we can keep improving the weakness of the long, medium, low speed, long corner that always compromises us," he added. "Luckily, Vegas next, which is completely the opposite to this and probably the cars that were strong here will be weak in Vegas and vice versa.

"Just as a team we need to get on top of those issues which compromise and will compromise Qatar, compromise here, so keen to keep working as a team on that.”

Sainz finished 13th, two places behind his team-mate Alex Albon, and Williams failed to score points in Brazil this weekend.