F1 star goes from hero to zero at US Grand Prix as FIA announce late penalty

Carlos Sainz was the hero of the day on Saturday at the United States Grand Prix, taking third place in the sprint and adding crucial points to Williams' total.

However, the Spaniard has gone from hero to zero after Sunday's Grand Prix, forced to retire after a collision with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and hit with a penalty for his part in the incident that will affect the next race.

Sainz attempted a bold overtake on Antonelli into Turn 15, resulting in contact between the two cars, and the Mercedes youngster spinning off the track. Meanwhile, Sainz pulled off the track and prompted a virtual safety car, retiring from the race with damage.

The stewards confirmed that they would investigate the incident after the race, and the FIA announced late on Sunday that Sainz will indeed serve a punishment, hit with a five-place grid penalty for next weekend's Mexican Grand Prix. On top of this, two penalty points were also added to Sainz's current total.

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Why did the stewards penalize Sainz?

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.

Having decided that the Williams driver was predominantly to blame, had Sainz continued in the race, he would have been hit with a 10-second time penalty. However, since he was forced to retire, a grid penalty equal to a 10-second time penalty has been imposed for the next race.

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