Sainz Hit with Five-Place Grid Penalty for Collision with Antonelli in Austin
A five-place grid penalty has been levied against Carlos Sainz for the upcoming Mexico City Grand Prix following a controversial collision with Kimi antonelli during the United States Grand prix on Sunday. The decision, handed down by race stewards, also includes two penalty points added to Sainz’s racing license.
The incident occurred early in the race, as Sainz and Antonelli battled for position. According to reports, Sainz attempted an overtake into Turn 15 on Lap 7, resulting in contact that sent Antonelli spinning off track. While Antonelli was able to rejoin the race, he ultimately finished in 13th place, while Sainz was forced to retire, becoming the only driver to do so during the event. A post-race examination was immediately initiated.
Following interviews with both drivers and their team representatives, stewards determined that Sainz was primarily responsible for the collision. A detailed statement released after the hearing explained the reasoning behind the penalty.
“Car 55 attempted an inside overtake on Car 12 at Turn 15 and a collision between the two cars occurred at the apex,” the statement read.”The driver of car 55 maintained that he had expected the driver of Car 12 to leave him space at the apex but Car 12 turned in early and Car 55 locked brakes when it became clear that a collision was unavoidable.”
Crucially, the stewards found that Sainz had not positioned himself alongside Antonelli prior to the apex of the turn, therefore not establishing the “right to be left space.” The ruling concluded that Sainz was “predominantly to blame for the collision,” and applied a penalty equivalent to a 10-second time penalty, manifested as a five-place grid drop.
The penalty will be served at the Mexico City Grand Prix, scheduled for the weekend of October 24-26.
Sainz expressed his frustration with the outcome, stating that the clash “looks a lot worse from the outside than what it felt from the inside” and calling the result of the race “a shame.” Antonelli,though,offered a more direct assessment,saying,”I don’t think he was going to make the corner anyway,and I tried to avoid hitting the apex just to give him a bit more space,but I ended up getting taken out. It’s a shame, but we move forward.”
This penalty adds another layer of complexity to the upcoming Mexico City Grand Prix, possibly impacting Sainz’s qualifying strategy and overall race performance.
