Carlos Sainz believes that Fernando Alonso’s complaints on the radio influenced the stewards’ decision to penalize him after their clash in Madrid.
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Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso clearly do not share the same view of their clash during the Spanish Grand Prix. The two Spanish drivers touched on lap 12 in the tricky sequence of turns 5 and 6 of the Madring, while they were only fighting for 17th place.
The stewards ultimately assigned responsibility for the incident to Sainz and gave him a five-second penalty. A decision that the Williams driver finds hard to accept as he believes Alonso greatly exaggerated the incident on the radio and thus contributed to his sanction.
Alonso attacks Sainz at very high speed
The incident occurred approaching one of the most delicate sectors of the new Madrid circuit. Alonso was trying to overtake Sainz on the outside when the Williams gradually moved to the right, causing contact between the two cars.
Alonso’s car ended up very close to the wall and his front wing was damaged in the clash. The two-time world champion immediately expressed his displeasure on the radio.
“He pushed me against the wall.”
The stewards reviewed the incident before penalizing Sainz five seconds. But for the Williams driver, the situation was much less clear than his compatriot suggested.
Sainz accuses Alonso of influencing the stewards
Sainz believes that the very layout of this sequence makes this kind of contact almost inevitable when two drivers try to negotiate it side by side. He also thinks Alonso was not sufficiently alongside to claim the inside space.
“There is not much to say. It’s simply the nature of this corner when you turn right. I think he complained on the radio and thus managed to get me penalized.”
The Williams driver mainly points to the design of the Madring, already strongly criticized by several drivers during the weekend. According to him, the sequence simply does not have enough space to accommodate two cars.
“As always, the nature of this corner will cause this kind of accidents because there is only room for one car. There is not even enough for two.”
Sainz also explains that it is impossible for a driver to constantly watch his mirrors when approaching such a fast and technical sequence.
“You can’t keep looking in your mirrors when you turn and have to negotiate a right-left. You have to look ahead.”
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“I don’t think Fernando was alongside me”
For Sainz, there necessarily comes a moment when the driver ahead must focus on his own line. He believes this is precisely what happened at the moment of contact with Alonso.
“At some point, you have to focus on your own line. And I don’t think Fernando was really alongside me.”
This interpretation contrasts with that of the stewards, who considered Sainz’s maneuver justified a penalty. It especially contrasts with Alonso’s account, who claims he was forced to drive against the wall at very high speed while his compatriot had enough space on the other side.
Alonso: “It was unnecessary”
Unlike Sainz, Alonso believes the stewards made the right decision. Informed that his compatriot had downplayed the incident after the race, the Aston Martin driver did not want to prolong the controversy over the sanction itself.
“He received a penalty, so if the stewards consider that enough, that suits me.”
Alonso nevertheless regrets how the duel unfolded, especially since the two Spaniards were far from the points in front of their home crowd.
“Neither of us finished in the points, but I think this incident was unnecessary.”
The two-time world champion especially insists on the speed at which he found himself trapped against the wall, believing Sainz could easily have left him more space.
“There was plenty of room on the left. I was simply against the wall on the right at 340 km/h. I think it was not necessary.”
The clash thus adds a new controversy to a complicated first weekend for the Madring. After Max Verstappen and George Russell, who notably criticized the lack of overtaking opportunities, Sainz also points to the design of certain sequences. But on this particular incident, Alonso and the stewards clearly do not share his analysis.
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