Carlos Sainz Jnr has questioned why he was penalised in the Miami Grand Prix while Sergio Perez escaped punishment for a similar incident.
Perez had a near-miss with his team mate Max Verstappen at the start of the last race when he ran wide at the first corner. He held up Sainz and Lando Norris as he went off the track.While he avoided a penalty for losing control of his car, Sainz was penalised when his Ferrari got away from him while he was battling Oscar Piastri late in the race. The pair made contact and Piastri was forced to pit with a broken front wing.
Sainz said the two incidents were similar errors which were only treated different because of the consequences they had for those involved.
“I struggle to understand it sometimes,” said the Ferrari driver. “At the start Checo went completely long, lost control of the car, nearly took two guys out. We just were lucky, in a way, to avoid him.
“He went off the track at the start and there wasn’t a consequence, there was no contact or anything, but it cost [me] a lot [in] my race, it cost a lot [for] other people… and he didn’t get a penalty.
“I lost minimal control of the car overtaking Oscar, I unfortunately damaged his front wing, he obviously went backwards 15 positions and I got a five-second penalty.”
Sainz believes that as Perez didn’t get a penalty, he shouldn’t have either, as the stewards have previously claimed they don’t take the consequence of an incident into consideration when imposing a penalty.
“I know we keep thinking we don’t look at the outcome of the [incident]. In this case I think clearly we’re still looking at the outcome because I’m completely certain that if the front wing of Oscar wouldn’t have had to pit, I would not have got a penalty and everyone would be talking about a good overtake and some good action on a track where it proved to be extremely difficult to overtake and you had to go for a move like that.
“But on the other hand Checo didn’t touch anyone, we all managed to avoid him and there was no penalty. So in my opinion, the consequence is still having a bit of an effect on the penalty that you get, which is something that I don’t fully share or I’m still a bit puzzled about and I struggle with sometimes.”
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2024 Miami Grand Prix
- McLaren had superior pace before Verstappen’s damage in Miami – Norris
- Sainz ‘struggles to understand’ why he got penalty when Perez didn’t
- Alonso’s unusual brake problem and more unheard Miami team radio
- McLaren’s Miami upgrade success points to even stronger form in coming races
- Norris expects more wins this year and believes “100%” in 2025 title bid
Jere (@jerejj)
16th May 2024, 17:27
Sainz barely even bothered to turn left, but instead let the car go straight past the normal turning point a bit like Rosberg in the 2016 Austrian GP, so a fair 5-second time penalty.
As always, opening lap stuff gets more leniency, although Checo’s divebomb was still unnecessarily risky that fortunately through luck & quick reactions didn’t cause anything big.
Neil (@neilosjames)
16th May 2024, 17:38
I’ve concluded that Perez didn’t get the penalty Sainz did – for “causing a collision” – because he didn’t cause a collision.
It was also the first corner/first lap, and we all know such collisions – or lack of collisions, in this case – are treated more leniently.
That said, he does have a point that the stewards do take consequences into account. Not just obvious consequences (eg, was there a collision at all?) but little ones like impact to the innocent driver.
LosD (@losd)
16th May 2024, 18:29
That’s pretty easy. As @neilosjames said: They might have made similar mistakes, but Sainz caused a collision, Perez didn’t.
True, they don’t punish from the consequences, but that’s about the consequences of a foul, not if the mistake caused a foul or not.
Mr A
16th May 2024, 18:56
Perez never hit anyone.
Wish drivers would get their facts before running their mouths, makes them look silly.
SteveP
16th May 2024, 20:28
According to Max and Christian, he did.
Swapped paint with the rear of Max’s car.
Pure luck that he was more toward the rear end of Max than the side of Sainz, otherwise it could have been a T-bone impact with Hubert level consequences.
S
17th May 2024, 10:10
What a truly ridiculous statement.
MacLeod (@macleod)
17th May 2024, 8:29
As SteveP said there was a scratch on it’s end of Max car Perez just was luckly not taking out Max and didn’t hit Sainz because that would be ugly. I don’t think it would be Hubert level bad as the speeds were much more lower then Spa.
Xavi
17th May 2024, 0:34
This is why we miss Senna these days, appart from the Great driving skills he had, I don’t remember drivers being such crybabies like they are nowadays.
Yes James Hunt had a crazy life outside the track and almost a glamour life like Hamilton pretends now, but hardly read or heard them crying and complaining like Sains does.
Maybe Sains is still “intimidated” by Perez from last season.
Some drivers have valid concerns (Hamilton/Alonso) and some are mere Crybabies on and off the Track (Sains/Ocon)
AlexS
17th May 2024, 4:57
Drivers were much more careful in those times, they know their lives were on the line.
Nick T.
17th May 2024, 17:22
They weren’t any more careful. They just knew bumping would immediately collapse their glass like suspensions. They finally figured out adding a pound of weight and not have the slightest tap snap your suspension was worth the tiny performance loss in the late 90s.
A couple factors have led to all this whining and crying wolf:
-F1 has never been so penalty happy before
-Social media has seemingly turned half the world into a bunch of intolerable whiners
-During Senna’s day radio was not heavily used let alone broadcast and used as an avenue for drivers to get other drivers in trouble
-Etc.
Yaru (@yaru)
18th May 2024, 22:10
Yea he didn’t whine, he just physically assaulted somebody when he was unhappy with them that’s all…….