Carlos Sainz On Penalty: "Biggest Disgrace I Have Seen in Years in This Sport"
Spanish racing driver Carlos Sainz expressed his frustration and anger after receiving a five-second penalty that cost him a top-10 finish in the recent Grand Prix. Sainz drove an excellent race, until the last restart when he collided with Fernando Alonso, causing the Aston Martin to spin and lose ground. Although the incident did not harm Alonso's result, Sainz was penalised and fell outside the points.
The penalty decision was quickly imposed by the race control, leaving many puzzled, including Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur. Vasseur expressed his incomprehension and deemed the penalty unjust, especially for its swiftness.
He said:
'My biggest frustration is that the decision is taken so quickly while it has no impact on the podium. You don't give time now to let Sainz tell his story. We had a good race with Carlos, it's a shame that this decision is taken so quickly.''
Despite the disappointing end result, Sainz's performance was impressive and acted as a good showcase of his driving talent. He commented on the penalty, obviously angry:
''I am not going to comment on this until I have spoken to stewards and they reverse the decision. It is the biggest disgrace I have seen in years in this sport. I can't say anything because I'm going to regret that. I want to speak to the stewards first,'' he said.
We'll keep you updated as we expect to hear from the FIA over the next 24 hours.