Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen walking side by side in F1 paddock — Photo: © IMAGO

United States Grand Prix

FIA announce F1 race winner handed LATE penalty after US Grand Prix

The FIA's stewards made a late decision

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Monday 20 October 2025 11:39 Updated: 21:28

The FIA have announced a late penalty for an F1 race winner after an incident at the US Grand Prix on Sunday.

While Max Verstappen led the race from lights out until the chequered flag, there was drama further behind him in the points-paying positions between Carlos Sainz and Kimi Antonelli.

The Spaniard attempted a bold overtake on Antonelli into Turn 15, which resulted in contact between the two cars and the Mercedes youngster spun off the track only to tumble down the order.

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Meanwhile, Sainz pulled off the track and prompted a virtual safety car, becoming the first and only retirement of the US GP after a stellar Saturday sprint for the Williams star.

The stewards confirmed that they would investigate the incident after the race, and have since decided to award Sainz a five-place grid penalty for the Mexican GP, alongside two further penalty points.

Why was Sainz given a penalty for the Mexican GP?

When summoned to the stewards, Sainz explained that he expected Antonelli to give him space at the apex of Turn 15, but instead the Italian turned early.

As a result Sainz locked his brakes, which meant a collision was unavoidable. The Williams star further added that Antonelli should have anticipated the overtaking attempt and left space to avoid contact.

However, the stewards stated that at no point prior to the apex was the front axle of Sainz’s car alongside or ahead of the mirror of Antonelli’s. Therefore, according to the Drivers’ Standards Guidelines, Sainz had not earned any right to be left space at the apex.

The stewards determined that Sainz was predominantly to blame for the collision in Austin, but because the driver did not finish the race a grid penalty equalling a 10-second time penalty has been imposed for the Mexican GP this weekend.

A further two penalty points have also been added to Sainz’s tally, taking his total up to four in a 12-month period.

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