Already eliminated in Q1 in front of his home crowd, Carlos Sainz received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Valtteri Bottas.
The nightmare continues for Carlos Sainz at home. Only 17th in the qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix after being eliminated in Q1, the Williams driver learned a few hours later that he would drop another three positions on the starting grid.
The stewards judged that the Spaniard had unnecessarily impeded Valtteri Bottas during a flying lap. Sainz is thus demoted from 17th to 20th place for Sunday’s race, while the Cadillac driver gains a position and will start 19th.
Sainz penalized for impeding Bottas
The incident occurred in the sequence of turns 6 and 7 during the first part of qualifying. Bottas was on a flying lap in his Cadillac when Sainz found himself on his racing line and did not move aside enough to let him pass.
The stewards had announced at the end of Q1 that they would review the situation after qualifying. After hearing the different parties and analyzing the available evidence, they considered the impediment sufficiently clear to justify a penalty.
“The team did not inform the driver of car 55 that car 77 was approaching on a flying lap and the driver took no action to let the approaching car pass.”
The stewards’ conclusion leaves little room for doubt.
“The stewards determine that car 55 unnecessarily impeded car 77.”
Williams also called out
The decision also highlights a communication error on Williams’ side. Sainz was not warned in time about Bottas’ fast approach, which partly explains why the Spaniard did not react to clear the racing line.
However, this does not allow him to escape the sanction. Impeding in qualifying is generally punished by a three-place grid drop and the stewards applied this penalty to the Williams driver.
Read more George Russell under investigation despite his best time in Q1 in Madrid
The consequence is particularly painful since Sainz was already in a very poor position. Initially qualified 17th, he is now pushed back to 20th, in the midst of a weekend that is progressively turning into a nightmare in front of his home crowd.
Eliminated in Q1 by five thousandths
Even before this penalty, qualifying had already been a huge disappointment for Sainz. The Madrid native had failed to get through Q1, missing out by only five thousandths of a second to his teammate Alexander Albon.
This early elimination was all the more frustrating because the first Grand Prix held at the Madring represents a particularly important event for Sainz. In front of his home crowd, the Williams driver naturally hoped to be at the front but never managed to find enough performance.
The other Spaniard on the grid, Fernando Alonso, was also eliminated in Q1. The two main local attractions thus found themselves out of the fight even before the start of Q2.
A comeback that looks very difficult
Starting 20th would already be a serious handicap on any circuit, but the situation could be even more delicate on the Madring. Several drivers have expressed serious doubts about the overtaking opportunities offered by the new Spanish layout.
George Russell notably regretted the absence of real zones allowing an attack, while Max Verstappen was even harsher, stating that he saw practically no corners where overtaking was possible. Under these conditions, Sainz could have a lot of trouble moving up despite a possible pace difference.
Tire degradation and strategy could nevertheless create opportunities during the 57 laps. But after a failed qualifying and this new penalty, the Spaniard will now have to start practically from the back of the grid to try to save his home Grand Prix.
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