F1 Saudi GP: FIA steward mistake leads to Carlos Sainz penalty howler

Carlos Sainz, Williams, Bahrain, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

F1 Saudi GP: FIA steward mistake leads to Carlos Sainz penalty howler

Carlos Sainz was handed a penalty in Bahrain

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 17 April 2025 17:57

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Williams F1 star Carlos Sainz was mistakenly given a penalty for the upcoming Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, following a howler from FIA stewards.

Formula 1 heads to Jeddah this weekend for the fifth round of the 2025 season, with Lando Norris hoping to build his championship lead over team-mate Oscar Piastri and four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

The McLaren duo appear to be the favourites for the title, with the team having claimed three race victories and seven podiums already this season.

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At Williams, Sainz is looking to bounce back from a miserable Bahrain GP weekend, in which he had to retire from the race despite having achieved his best qualifying position so far with the Grove-based outfit.

Sainz received damage to his car during an on-track collision with Kimi Antonelli, a collision that saw the Spaniard receive a 10-second penalty.

However, the FIA stewards seemingly hadn't noticed that Sainz had actually served that penalty before his retirement from the race, so they converted it into a three-place grid penalty for this weekend's Saudi Arabian GP, with the FIA even issuing an official statement on the matter.

Sainz escapes more punishment

F1's governing body soon rectified their mistake, releasing another document 39 minutes after the first (which was recalled) which corrected the error, proclaiming that Sainz had indeed served his time penalty at his pit stop in Bahrain.

Sainz is currently stuck down in 16th in the drivers' championship with just one point from his opening four grands prix weekends with Williams.

Following his move from Ferrari, the four-time grand prix winner was supposed to take the Grove outfit onto the next level, but it has been team-mate Alex Albon doing that instead, picking up 18 points from the first four races to propel the team into sixth.

However, Sainz's qualifying performance - where he managed to put his car in eighth, beating Albon for the first time in 2025 - will give him confidence for the upcoming races that he can be regularly in the points with his new team.

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Max Verstappen Lando Norris Oscar Piastri Carlos Sainz Saudi Arabian Grand Prix