Team Torquing Points: Strategist Sainz and Points in the Air

The second episode of Team Torque Season 2 picked up right where the premiere left off – with laughs, inside scoops, and a little chaos thrown in for good measure. And while the latest edition was as entertaining as ever, it also gave fans a deeper look behind the scenes of two dramatic race weekends.

From playing armchair strategist in Melbourne to being blindsided by surprise points in Shanghai, Alex and Carlos offered up stories only they could tell – and we’re here to unpack it all.

Carlos’ Australian Grand Prix weekend came to an early end, but that didn’t mean he was headed for the garage and switching off. Quite the opposite.

After his retirement, Carlos pivoted from driver to de facto strategist, and what followed was a moment of teamwork that left him as, potentially, the most nervous man in Melbourne.

“I was on the engineer island following your radio and following your data, and at this point, with like 10-15 laps to go, they told me about the rain coming. We start following the radar and I see the intensity of the rain and I say: ‘this is proper rain, if this hits us, they're going to struggle to keep it on track.’

“I start hearing strategic conversations – it's going to be very short, it's going to pass very quickly, let's see in 5-10 laps. And I'm like, no, if this hits us, you’ll need to box.

“So I went and I started running to the pit wall and I went to check first with James [Vowles], I said ‘Can I?’

“I say, ‘I think if I was in the car right now and I don't have access to this [radar], the moment that you see the guys in front going off the road because the rain, it's just going to get worse from then. So I think we should box Alex the moment the rain comes.’

“And then, suddenly, I've never been so nervous in my life. You start feeling wind picking up, the black cloud coming – I'm like, oh, my God, it's coming! My heart rate was rising in case, like, you made the wrong call!”

Then, the heavens opened and the leaders went off in the final sector. That’s when Carlos made the call...

“Suddenly the camera points at the McLarens and they are going off the road into the last two corners, and I go ‘BOX!’. I start shouting to them ‘box, box now!’

“And then everyone's like box, box. Suddenly you came in, but not many others came in and I was like, ‘Oh my God! We might have really…!’

“And then I stay there, wait 2 minutes and it starts p****** down for a couple of laps. And I've never been so nervous. I thought for a moment it was not going to rain and I was like, I should have just shut up, you know? But I'm glad the radar didn’t lie.”

Whether on track or behind the pit wall, it’s clear Carlos is more than happy to make his mark in his new surroundings. And who knows? Maybe a future in strategy might just be on the cards…

Fast forward to Shanghai, and the team faced a very different kind of surprise. After the chequered flag on Sunday at the Chinese Grand Prix, news broke post-race that would shake up the final standings – with Atlassian Williams Racing gaining a double points finish as a result.

But how did the drivers find out about it? In true Team Torque fashion, the answer isn’t exactly what you'd expect.

“I went to the garage and my number one, Gorka, was telling me that it was very strange how the two Ferraris were left but still in Parc Ferme,” Alex explained. “He said that's not normal and that something's going on over there.

“I was smelling it and well, you know you can't fight weights and you can't fight the plank.”

But what about Carlos? How did he find out about his first point with the team? Well…

“I think I was about to board the plane,” Sainz shared. “I read it and was like, OK, and then they told me, yeah, but that puts you in P10 because Gasly.

“I suddenly gained three positions and, after a disappointing day, I was like: I'll take the point. – every point matters.”