Bad luck for Carlos Sainz Jr! The Spaniard has not had the best start to the new season with Williams, and his luck didn’t improve during the qualifiers for the Japanese Grand Prix, where he failed to advance beyond Q2. To add insult to injury, Sainz has also been handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Lewis Hamilton. This demotes him from the twelfth starting position to P15. A small consolation for Red Bull debutant Yuki Tsunoda, who moves up one place.
Following the qualifiers for the Japanese Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton were summoned by the FIA stewards. It appeared that Sainz crossed the line last in Q2, but Hamilton was still pushing for a fast lap behind him. Because the Williams driver was leisurely navigating the first corner, Hamilton had to swerve significantly to avoid a severe crash. Unsurprisingly, Sainz has to pay for the incident with a grid penalty.
“Hamilton had to swerve in the first corners,” the stewards judged. “Sainz stated that he had not received a warning from his team that car number 44 would start a fast lap. He stated that he was surprised by Hamilton’s speed, which he could not see in his mirrors at that time.” Due to the three-place grid penalty, Carlos Sainz falls back to the fifteenth position. This is the fourth time – including the sprint qualifier in Shanghai – that Sainz has been beaten by teammate Alexander Albon. Hamilton, in his Ferrari, ultimately did not advance beyond P8.
