Williams Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz has addressed his five-place grid penalty for the upcoming Mexican Grand Prix.
The Spanish driver was handed the grid penalty and two points on his superlicence after crashing into Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli during the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas.
As Sainz attempted to pass the Italian driver on the inside of Turn 15, both lunged for the apex, leading to a collision. Sainz was forced to retire from the race, and while Antonelli was able to continue, he only managed to recover to 13th.
The stewards determined that Sainz was predominantly to blame for the crash. “At no point prior to the apex was the front axle of Car 55 alongside or ahead of the mirror of Car 12. Therefore, according to the Driving Standards Guidelines, Car 55 had not earned a right to be left space at the apex.”
Sainz reacted to the penalty, claiming that Antonelli closed the door on the gap more abruptly than he expected, causing him to slam on the brakes, but ultimately took ownership of his part in the crash.
“It’s a shame to end the race that way as the car had great pace today. I had done a similar move on Bearman some laps before, so I tried that inside line with Antonelli into Turn 15.
“He opened the line and then closed the door more abruptly than I was expecting. I tried to react by slamming on the brakes to avoid contact but it was too late and we touched. I was behind so I accept my part of fault and ultimately it’s a shame as it cost the race for both of us.
“We were quick so it hurts not to convert it into more points today but we’ll bounce back for Mexico next week.”
This was a disappointing end to what had started out as a positive weekend for Sainz. After qualifying seventh for the sprint race, he converted it into a third-place finish, securing six points. He went on to claim ninth place on the starting grid for the grand prix, but had to walk away with no points and a DNF.
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