After qualifying almost at the threshold of the points zone, Carlos Sainz will start from 15th position tomorrow after being penalized by race management for impeding Lewis Hamilton.
In Australia, Carlos Sainz’s adventure in Williams did not start in the best way with the Spaniard’s retirement during the race in Melbourne and certainly, in Japan, it is not improving. After experiencing several difficulties in Shanghai as well, in the last hour came the officialdom that would see the Madrid native lose the 12th position gained during Q2 this morning due to impeding against Lewis Hamilton in Turn 1.
According to the official communiqué prepared by the FIA stewards, “car 55 was on a re-entry lap after completing a fast lap, while car 44 was starting its fast lap. Car 44 had to leave the racing line to avoid car 55 at Turn 1 “.
“It is noted that the standard penalty stipulated for this infraction during qualifying, regardless of whether the responsibility lies with the driver or the team, is a penalty of 3 grid positions, and therefore the stewards believe that the standard penalty should be applied.”
Carlos Sainz-currently in 14th position in the Drivers’ World Championship with only one point, gained from Ferrari’s double disqualification in China-will therefore have to start from 15th position with the mission of having to climb back up to the points zone in order to improve on his current position.
Photo: Atlassian Williams Racing