F1 star hit with FIA PENALTY before turning a wheel at Mexican Grand Prix

Williams F1 star Carlos Sainz will be turning up to the Mexican Grand Prix in pretty good spirits having achieved podiums in two of the last three grands prix weekends.

But his smile may just be wiped from his face as soon as he remembers that he has a penalty for this weekend before he's even got out on track at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

And that's because of an incident at last weekend's United States Grand Prix.

Having finished third in the sprint race and qualified well for the main race in Austin, Sainz suffered a nightmare start to the grand prix, getting involved in a collision with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, which ruled the Spaniard out of the race.

It was yet another DNF for Sainz, and he took full responsibility for this one, admitting that he was not in front of Antonelli at any point as he tried to make the pass.

The FIA race stewards agreed with Sainz and handed him a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Antonelli, but because Sainz was no longer in the race to serve that penalty, it was converted to a grid drop to be carried over to the Mexican GP weekend.

Sainz looking to continue resurgence

It means wherever Sainz qualifies in Saturday's qualifying session, he will have to march back five positions, in what will come as a blow to his hopes of continuing his recent good form in Mexico City.

Having started the season off poorly, Sainz is now sat in 11th in the drivers' championship, and has scored a whopping 22 points in the last three race weekends, having only scored 17 in the previous 16.

It has massively boosted Williams' chances of finishing fifth in the constructors' standings, and the Grove outfit look to have a firm grip on that position.

Finishing fifth would equate to some serious prize money being awarded, which would provide a boost for the team as they head into what will be a crucial 2026 season with new regulations sweeping into the sport.

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