Carlos Sainz’s incredible mistake at Suzuka: misses Williams pit box and heads for Ferrari’s. A curious mishap for former Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz at Suzuka.

A bit of nostalgia for Carlos Sainz? During the first free practice session for the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, the driver now with Williams was involved in an unusual incident. While the FP1 session was dominated by Lando Norris’s McLaren, Sainz made a singular mistake: entering the pit lane, he completely missed his team’s box, driving straight past without stopping. Forced to complete another lap, he was then able to make the scheduled stop shortly afterward.

Carlos Sainz and the comment after the pit box mistake
As he approached the pit lane, his race engineer had warned him via radio to stop at the first available box. Despite the clear advice, Sainz drove straight through, then apologized to the team with a colorful expression: “Oh, me… I missed it, guys. I thought it was at the end, sorry.” A slip-up that didn’t go unnoticed by fans, especially on social media, where many speculated there was still a strong connection with his past at Ferrari. In Suzuka, in fact, the Ferrari box is located right at the end of the pit lane, fueling jokes about a possible “saudade” from the driver for his former team.