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Carlos Sainz gets a five-place grid penalty for colliding with Kimi Antonelli at the United States Grand Prix, ending his race early and impacting his Mexico City Grand Prix start.
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Carlos Sainz’s United States Grand Prix ended in frustration — and now his Mexico City weekend will start on the back foot.
The Williams Racing driver has been handed a five-place grid penalty for colliding with Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli at the Circuit of the Americas.
From Sprint Podium to Penalty Pain
After celebrating a Sprint Race podium on Saturday, Sainz was eyeing another points finish on Sunday. But the Spaniard’s race unravelled on Lap 7, when an ambitious move into Turn 15 saw him clip Antonelli’s Mercedes, sending the 18-year-old into a spin.
Antonelli managed to continue but finished outside the points, while Sainz’s damaged Ferrari came to a stop before the pit lane — ending his race prematurely.
Stewards Step In
Post-race, stewards deemed Sainz “predominantly at fault,” ruling that he had not earned the right to racing room.
After hearing from both drivers and their team representatives, officials issued a five-place grid penalty for the next race — the Mexico City Grand Prix — along with two penalty points on Sainz’s Super Licence.
“As the driver to be penalized did not finish the race, a grid penalty equalling a 10-second time penalty is imposed,” the stewards’ report stated.
Sainz downplayed the collision, saying it “looks a lot worse from the outside than what it felt from the inside,” calling it “a shame” that his race ended that way.
Antonelli, however, was less forgiving: “I don’t think he was going to make the corner anyway. I tried to avoid hitting the apex to give him space, but I still got taken out. It’s a shame, but we move forward.”
Eyes on Mexico
The penalty means Sainz will start five places lower on the grid at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez — one of F1’s toughest circuits for overtaking due to its thin air and long straights.
Still, the ‘Smooth Operator’ remains unfazed.
“Yeah, it’s racing. It’s the same as always,” Sainz said. “One day, you look like a hero. The next, people criticise you. Then you get a good result again — it’s the cycle.”
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
October 20, 2025, 14:55 IST
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