Carlos Sainz had a very disappointing F1 Dutch GP. A collision with Liam Lawson and a penalty from the stewards made for a very difficult race.
Qualifying had gone well for the Spaniard, as he started the race in P9. During a safety car caused by Lewis Hamilton, he found himself behind Liam Lawson. It became a battle for 7th.
On the restart, Sainz attempted to go around the outside of the Racing Bull going into Turn 1. However, the two cars made contact. The damage saw both of the drivers limping back to the pits. Lawson continued the race with a fresh set of tyres, whereas Sainz also required a new front wing.
This incident ended both Sainz and Lawson’s chances of scoring points at Zandvoort. To make matters worse, the Williams driver was handed a 10-second penalty and two points on his super licence. After the collision and the penalty, Sainz finished the race in P13.
An unhappy Carlos Sainz
As soon as the penalty was awarded, Sainz made his displeasure known over the radio. He didn’t stop there. Speaking post-race, he shared how he feels that he was not at fault for the incident. He also stated that the decision made was a ‘complete joke.‘
“First of all, the incident, I think, is quite clear. I don’t know how many examples we’ve seen in Turn 1 in Zandvoort of two cars racing side by side without contact.
“It’s a corner that allows two cars to race each other without really having to have any unnecessary contact.
“But with Liam, it always seems to be very difficult to make that happen. He always seems to prefer to have a bit of contact and risk a DNF or a puncture like we did, than to actually accept having two cars side by side. Hopefully, it will come with more experience to him. Because he knows he’s putting too many points on the line for just an unnecessary manoeuvre.
“But on top of that, to then get a 10-second penalty for it, I think it’s a complete joke.”
Sainz also claims that the penalty was avoidable, as he was not trying to race Lawson that hard.
“I just had a gap around the outside, and I said ‘ok, I’m going to start getting him a bit out of position for Turn 2, Turn 3.’ I wasn’t trying to pass him around the outside.
“So, I was just trying to have a side-by-side with him to then get him a bit off line for Turn 2, Turn 3. Suddenly, I have contact which caught me completely off guard and by surprise.”
