Carlos Sainz Admits He's Not Upset About Failing To Finish After Being Hit By Ricciardo: It Can Happen To Anyone

Carlos Sains (Instagram carlossainz55)

JAKARTA - Carlos Sainz said he had no feelings for Daniel Ricciardo after driver McLaren apologized for causing a collision with a Ferrari driver on the opening laps at Imola on Sunday.

Sainz's car twisted on the track and got stuck in the gravel after being hit from behind by Ricciardo di Tamburello's McLaren which ended his struggle at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Ferrari's home race.

It was the second time in a row that the Spaniard failed to finish (DNF) in the opening four races of the season.

In Australia, two weeks earlier, he had finished the race on the second lap and Sainz also crashed during Friday's qualifying sprint at Imola.

"The first thing he did (after the race) was come to the Ferrari garage and apologize to me," Sainz said. "The mechanics are all with me and we thank you for the gesture.

"That's why there is no resentment towards Daniel. What happened to him could have happened to everyone there but unfortunately it happened to me.

"That's how it is. This incident is no mystery. What happened is very clear to everyone."

Sainz held two positions behind team mate Charles Leclerc before the race but slipped to fifth place 38 points clear of the Monaco driver after the race.

Leclerc could have widened the gap further but he found his car skidded while chasing Red Bull's Sergio Perez, dropping from P3 to P8 before restoring two positions to finish P6 as Max Verstappen won the fourth race from pole position.

Leclerc revealed he was too 'greedy' when launching an attack on Perez and he learned from that mistake.

"The position when it could be the best result we could have secured today, because our competitors are very strong," said Leclerc.

"I was overwhelmed with the soft tyres but when I saw the opportunity to overtake Perez for second, I took it, pushed too much, when I should have defended to secure the point."

Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto said it was not the home race result that was expected.

"We wanted to give the fans something to celebrate, as they thronged and reddened the stands and pitch to support us at Imola," said Binotto.

"It's normal, we're disappointed not to be able to make it happen, but there will be races and other opportunities to make them smile."