Renault’s Carlos Sainz Jr. says he came close to vomiting during the Australian Grand Prix due to a faulty pump, which led to him ingesting more water than required.
Sainz Jr. ran among the closely-matched group battling for fifth spot but slipped away as the race wore on, and complained over the radio that he was feeling nauseous.
Sainz Jr. held off Force India’s Sergio Perez to round out the top 10, claiming a point in the process, but was left in discomfort as a consequence of the failure.
“I had the drinks bottle pumping water through my mouth since lap one and I was drinking and drinking and drinking and I just got full of water in my stomach,” he said.
“I wasn’t feeling good with the stomach with all the water inside, going from side to side it was very difficult.
“At some point under the Safety Car I nearly had to vomit, so from there on it was just about making it to the finish. It is a bit unfortunate.”
Sainz Jr., who lost ground to Fernando Alonso in the first stint when he went wide at Turn 9, was nonetheless upbeat over the pace of the Renault’s R.S.18 through the weekend.
“It’s unfortunate but we just need to learn from it,” he said.
“It was a positive start, I’m happy with the performance over the weekend.
“I think I could have done much more without the problems and with better car handling in the first stint. But you know, it’s something to learn from.”
Renault team-mate Nico Hulkenberg finished in seventh position.
