(Motorsport-Total.com) – Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso engaged in a public exchange at the Spanish Grand Prix on the new Madrid circuit. The two local heroes clashed early in the race – with consequences for Sainz. The Williams driver received a five-second penalty after Alonso reported the incident to race control via radio.
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Previously, the two had appeared friendly. That changed on lap 14 when Alonso put pressure on Sainz in the fight for 17th place. On the way to the chicane at turn 5, the Aston Martin driver tried to pass Sainz on the right. However, Sainz moved to the ideal racing line on the right, after which Alonso could hardly avoid due to the proximity to the track limits. Sainz’s right rear wheel hit the front wing of the Aston Martin, tearing off its endplate.
Alonso immediately reacted over the team radio. “At the start, he hit two people,” complained the Aston Martin driver. “Now he pushed me into the wall while braking.” Sainz had indeed collided with Yuki Tsunoda in the pack at the start. However, the race stewards had only noted the incident and classified it as a racing incident.
FIA holds Sainz responsible
In contrast, the stewards came to a different judgment regarding the contact with Alonso. Sainz received a five-second time penalty. The FIA justified this by stating that Alonso was just about to come alongside Sainz while braking for turn 5, while the Williams driver simultaneously moved to the right.
“Car 14 [Alonso] caught up to car 55 [Sainz] on the approach to turn 5 and was about to pull alongside when car 55 moved to the right edge of the track at the start of the braking phase, causing slight contact between the two cars,” said the stewards’ decision.
The race stewards saw this as a movement under braking. Sainz should have left Alonso more space on the outside. According to the FIA, the base penalty would have been a black-and-white flag. However, because there was contact between the two cars, a time penalty was issued instead.
Sainz disagrees and attacks Alonso
Sainz was not convinced by the decision after the race. For him, the contact was mainly a result of the narrow section of the track. “That’s due to the characteristics of this corner when you turn right. I think he complained over the radio and managed to get me a penalty as always,” said Sainz.
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The Williams driver also explained that there is hardly any space for two cars in this section. “I think the characteristics of this corner will always lead to such accidents because there is only room for one car, not even two,” said Sainz. When turning in, you also cannot constantly look in the mirrors because the driver has to prepare for the next change of direction at the same time.
Sainz also denied that Alonso was already fully alongside him. “I don’t think Fernando was next to me or anything,” the Spaniard explained. For him, it was therefore not clear that he had to give the Aston Martin more room at this point.
Both Spaniards finish without points
Alonso viewed the penalty differently, even though it no longer changed his result. “If the stewards think that’s enough, that’s fine with me,” said the Aston Martin driver. At the same time, he also considered the incident avoidable.
“Neither of us scored points, but I think it was unnecessary. There was enough space on the left,” explained Alonso. He himself was right at the track limit at that moment. “I was right at the wall, at 340 km/h. I think that wasn’t necessary.”
For Sainz, the Grand Prix ended prematurely. The team found that the damage to the floor caused at the start cost too much time and pulled him out of the race. Alonso also did not score points and finished the Spanish GP in 17th place, two laps down.
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