Carlos Sainz has expressed his frustrations ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, demanding a change to the racing guidelines after a controversial decision in Brazil
Carlos Sainz has described Oscar Piastri’s penalty at the Brazilian Grand Prix as ‘unacceptable’, demanding a ‘catch-up’ with F1 bosses to clear up the racing guidelines. The Spaniard also expressed his confusion about a string of other penalties that have been dished out since the summer break.
Piastri found himself running fourth behind Lando Norris, Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc when an early safety car peeled away in Brazil. Sensing an opportunity, he made a three-wide overtake attempt on the inside of Turn One, but the move went sour when the Mercedes driver opted for an early turn-in.
The ensuing contact ricocheted Antonelli’s car into the side of Leclerc, who suffered terminal damage. The stewards investigated and handed Piastri a 10-second time penalty, which dropped him back in the field before he recovered to finish fifth. The decision had significant ramifications for the Aussie’s Drivers’ Championship title bid.
Discussing the clash ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Sainz said: “I think we need urgently a catch-up and try and solve it because for me the fact that Oscar got a penalty there in Brazil is unacceptable, honestly, for the category that we are in and being the pinnacle of motorsport.”
Asked to clarify his thoughts, Sainz replied: “I’m not going to explain why, I think you all guys saw what happened. I think everyone that has seen racing knows that that is not Oscar’s fault at all. Everyone else who has really raced a race car knows he could have done nothing to avoid an accident there.”
Sainz called back to his own clashes this season to emphasise his frustration with the racing guidelines. The Williams racer was livid when he was hit with a penalty for contact with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson at Zandvoort at the end of August.
READ MORE: Max Verstappen F1 number change can be stopped by one rival as FIA approval needed
“It’s, for me, it’s something that I don’t understand,” he continued. “I didn’t understand my Zandvoort penalty. I didn’t understand why Ollie got a penalty when we both collided in Monza,” Sainz added.
“He was not deserving of that penalty, and I told him straight out of the race, I didn’t understand how I caught a 10-second penalty in Austin [for contact with Antonelli]. And then the Brazil situation, so there’s been not one but multiple incidents this year that are, for me, are far, far from where the sport should be.”
Piastri now enters the season-closing triple header with a 24-point deficit to overcome if he is to become the 2025 F1 world champion. The Australian has failed to score a podium in each of his last five Grand Prix starts, while rival Norris is chasing a third successive race win.
