FIA slam F1 star with 'ridiculous' Dutch Grand Prix penalty

fia, williams, carlos sainz, alex albon, james vowles — Photo: © IMAGO

Dutch Grand Prix

FIA slam F1 star with 'ridiculous' Dutch Grand Prix penalty

The FIA have announced a controversial penalty for Carlos Sainz

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 31 August 2025 17:58

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The FIA have slapped Williams F1 star Carlos Sainz will a penalty at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix.

Sunday's race at Zandvoort got off to a dramatic start with Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen all fighting it out at the front, and there was plenty of action further down the pack as well.

Sainz's team-mate Alex Albon completed a stunning opening lap at the 15th round of the championship, making up five places after a disappointing P15 start.

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The Spaniard on the other hand found himself in a tangle with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson, with the pair making contact heading into Turn 1 at the restart following Lewis Hamilton's race-ending crash.

Lawson's rear-left wheel made contact with Sainz's front-right, with the Williams star taking to team radio, making it clear who he felt was at fault.

"He's just so stupid. Oh my God, it's always the same guy," said Sainz.

Williams driver Carlos Sainz picked up a 10-second penalty and two penalty points during the Dutch GP

FIA double down on Sainz penalties at Dutch GP

After the incident had been referred to the stewards, it became clear that they vehemently disagreed with Sainz's claim that Lawson was to blame.

Sainz was handed a 10-second penalty, which he served during Sunday's race, eventually crossing the line in P13. But the 30-year-old was not happy with the decision.

When informed of the penalty over team radio, Sainz was in disbelief, saying: "Who?! Who gets a penalty? Me?! Are you joking? You're joking. I mean, it's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in my life."

"Make sure we go visit the stewards after the race. I want to have a talk with them."

But unfortunately for Sainz, things went from bad to worse as the FIA announced the full verdict from the stewards.

An official announcement read: "The stewards reviewed video, timing, telemetry, team radio and in-car video evidence. Car 55 was attempting to overtake Car 30 on the outside of Turn 1. The front axle of Car 55 was not ahead of the front axle of Car 30 at the apex of Turn 1. Car 55 attempted to stay on the outside of Car 30 and a collision occurred.

"We considered that Car 30 had the right to the corner and therefore Car 55 was wholly or predominantly to blame for the collision. As is standard for a collision of this nature and as prescribed under the guidelines, we imposed a 10 second time penalty on Car 55."

Despite the controversial penalty decision served by the stewards to Sainz, the Williams driver was also handed two penalty points for the incident, taking his running total to four.

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