Carlos Sainz had to withdraw from the Austrian Grand Prix before the race even started due to his Williams Formula 1 car not moving for the formation lap. He reported over team radio that something was preventing the car from moving forward, getting stuck in first gear. Despite forcing the car into neutral and heading back to the pits, the start had to be aborted as the polesitter had already completed his formation lap. As Sainz headed back to the pitlane, the rear brakes of his Williams car caught fire, leading to his race ending prematurely as he jumped out of the car. With Sainz out, Williams was left with only one car on the grid. The incident was described as a deflating moment for the drivers and the engineers, impacting not just Sainz but the whole team. Meanwhile, other drivers like Fernando Alonso and George Russell faced their own challenges and preparation issues while waiting for the delayed start.
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