A miscommunication at Ferrari sees Sainz penalised for blocking Hamilton’s lap in Saturday qualifying at Suzuka.
Carlos Sainz will drop three positions on the starting grid for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix after being found guilty of impeding Lewis Hamilton during qualifying at Suzuka.
Originally qualifying 12th, the Ferrari driver will now start from 15th after stewards ruled he blocked Hamilton during Q2. Sainz said he was “caught off guard” when he saw Hamilton in his mirrors.
The incident occurred late in the second qualifying session as Hamilton began a final flying lap, aiming to secure a spot in the top 10. Sainz, who was on a cooldown lap, found himself in the way heading into Turn 1, giving Hamilton no room to complete his lap cleanly.
In an official statement, the stewards explained:
“Car 55 [Sainz] was on a slow lap after completing a push lap, while Car 44 [Hamilton] was starting a fast lap. As they approached Turn 1, Car 44 had to leave the track to avoid Car 55.”
Sainz told the stewards he received no warning from his Ferrari team that Hamilton was on a fast lap. He claimed he was surprised by Hamilton’s sudden presence, and due to the closing speed and his car’s position, he couldn’t see the Mercedes in his mirrors.
However, the stewards emphasized that the Ferrari team had been given ample notice that Hamilton was on a hot lap and that over eight seconds had passed — enough time for the team to alert Sainz and allow him to take action.
“The standard penalty for this type of incident in qualifying — whether the fault lies with the driver or the team — is a three-place grid drop,” the statement concluded. “Accordingly, that penalty is applied.”
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Pen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Max | RedBull | 1:27.943 | 1:27.502 | 1:26.983 | — |
| 02 | Norris | McLare | 1:27.845 | 1:27.146 | 1:26.995 | — |
| 03 | Piastri | McLaren | 1:27.687 | 1:27.507 | 1:27.027 | — |
| 04 | Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:27.920 | 1:27.555 | 1:27.299 | — |
| 05 | Russell | Mer | 1:27.843 | 1:27.400 | 1:27.318 | — |
| 06 | Kimi | Merc | 1:27.968 | 1:27.639 | 1:27.555 | — |
| 07 | Hadjar | R.Bulls | 1:28.278 | 1:27.775 | 1:27.569 | — |
| 08 | Ham | Ferrari | 1:27.942 | 1:27.610 | 1:27.610 | — |
| 09 | Albon | William | 1:28.218 | 1:27.783 | 1:27.615 | — |
| 10 | Bear | Haas | 1:28.228 | 1:27.711 | 1:27.867 | — |
| 11 | Gasly | Alpine | 1:28.186 | 1:27.822 | — | |
| 12 | Alonso | Aston | 1:28.337 | 1:27.897 | — | |
| 13 | Lawson | R.Bulls | 1:28.554 | 1:27.906 | — | |
| 14 | Tsuno | RedBull | 1:27.967 | 1:28.000 | — | |
| 15 | Sainz | Williams | 1:28.209 | 1:27.836 | +3 | |
| 16 | Hülk | Stake | 1:28.570 | — | ||
| 17 | Gabriel | Stake | 1:28.622 | — | ||
| 18 | Ocon | Haas | 1:28.696 | — | ||
| 19 | Doohan | Alpine | 1:28.877 | — | ||
| 20 | Stroll | Aston | 1:29.271 | — |
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Sainz penalised three grid spots for blocking Hamilton Sainz penalised three grid spots for blocking Hamilton