F1 News: Carlos Sainz Hints at Drivers Strategically Crashing - "You Should Get a Penalty For it"
Only after Brazil have rumours started of Red Bull's Sergio Perez purposeful crashing his car at the Monaco Grand Prix. This has been unconfirmed, although we have been able to look at the track telemetry of this incident and give some evidence on the matter.
Now it's been hinted at by Carlos Sainz that this happens more than the media suggests it does, adding that this isn't the only example of such a thing happening.
The Ferrari driver added to the current rumours, explaining that many drivers have strategically caused yellow or red flags to gain an advantage on a racing weekend.
“Without commenting if it was on purpose or not," Carlos said on the Perez rumours, "I think it is real now that all drivers want a rule that if you generate a red flag or a yellow flag, whether it is intentional or not, there should be something done to that driver because you have compromised the other nine on purpose or maybe not."
He continued to add that regardless of whether it was on purpose or not, there should be penalisation:
“But you should get a penalty for it. If not, we are all going to start playing with it.
"I have seen over the last few years a lot more playing around with it than what you might even have picked out in the media.”
He was asked to further explain what her meant by this, but he was keen to not talk further on the subject:
“I’m not going to comment whether it [Perez's crash in Monaco] was on purpose or not.
"I think all 20 drivers, when we analyse these kinds of incidents, we know immediately if the driver has done it on purpose or not because we are not stupid."
Before you start worrying that F1 has lost its way and that cheating is rife within the sport, Sainz quickly added that this "is not regular", while also adding that he didn't want to further name and shame, although he did joke that he may talk about it "without a microphone".
“Without a microphone? I can go for drinks and dinner with you guys and without a microphone I can tell you.”
This is certainly more worrying that it initially sounds. None of us want F1 to be manipulated by teams and/or who think they can get away with a strategic crash, so maybe the best idea is to bring in some form of penalty. But what kind of penalty do you think this justifies?