Carlos Sainz Penalized for the Mexican Grand Prix After Crash in Austin
The Spanish driver Carlos Sainz has been penalized with a five-place grid penalty for the Mexican Grand Prix. The penalty stems from an incident during the United States Grand Prix, where Sainz collided with the Mercedes driven by Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The crash occurred when Sainz was trying to overtake Antonelli on the inside at Turn 15, seeking seventh position. During the maneuver, Sainz locked his brakes, which caused contact between both cars. The incident forced Sainz to abandon the race due to the damage suffered to his vehicle. For his part, Antonelli, although affected, managed to recover and finished the race in thirteenth position. According to the Driving Standards Guidelines used by the stewards to assess collisions, Sainz was deemed responsible for the incident. In addition to the grid penalty for the next race, he received a 10-second time penalty and two points on his super license.
In the statement, the stewards added that the driver of car number 55 argued that he expected the driver of car number 12 to leave him space at the apex, but car number 12 turned in earlier and car number 55 locked the brakes when it became evident that the collision was inevitable. According to the Driving Standards Guidelines, car number 55 had not earned the right to have space at the apex. Therefore, the stewards determined that the driver of car number 55 was primarily responsible for the collision and the corresponding penalty was applied.“Car number 55 (Sainz) attempted an overtake on the inside of car number 12 (Antonelli) at turn 15 and a collision occurred between the two cars at the apex,” the stewards stated in their statement.
