Carlos Sainz crashes out of United States GP after Kimi Antonelli clash

October 19, 2025

Carlos Sainz is out of the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas after crashing into Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

After starting from ninth on the grid, the Spanish driver collided with the Mercedes rookie at Turn 15 on the seventh lap of the race. While Antonelli was able to continue his race with minor damage, Sainz came to a halt on the side of the track before the pitlane, calling for a virtual safety car.

“Stewards will decide that is predominantly Carlos Sainz’s fault,” Martin Brundle stated on the Sky Sports F1 broadcast. The incident has been noted by race control and Sainz is due to meet with the stewards after the race.

This comes after the Williams driver finished third in the sprint race in Austin, earning him six points. After qualifying in ninth, he reflected on the strong Saturday with the media: “Yes, I think we had a really solid day today with a very strong qualifying sprint and a very good qualifying session, honestly. There’s not much in that lap.

“Obviously, then you see half a tenth with the top seven or top six and you wonder where that half a tenth can be. But honestly, my lap was very clean and I felt that from Q1 onwards, we were struggling to improve because the wind picked up. Our car, as always, when the wind picks up, is very difficult.”

When asked if he was happier with the car now, he added: “I’ve been happy all year, really. I’ve been fast all year. It’s just that in three races in a row, nothing has gone our way.

“We had a good qualifying session and a good race. And as I always say, in the life of an athlete, there are simply good runs of races and bad runs when things go against you. Or there are moments when things go your way. I had a very bad streak at the beginning of the year. But as soon as the bad streak ended, I got back to where I know I can be.”

Carlos Sainz, Williams

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

Sainz is clearly a favourite amongst the local fans as he was met with cheering crowds after his third-place finish in the sprint race.

“That’s probably the biggest thing for me today. Just seeing how everyone in the crowd seems to be behind us, behind me, behind Williams. It seems like people have really bought into the underdog story and the team on the rise.

“And obviously, my move and my move to this team. Everyone has come with me and supported me on my journey. As an athlete and as a driver, it feels really special when you get such great support from the crowd. So from here, a big thank you, because I really felt it.”