Carlos Sainz, Liam Lawson F1 Drama Explained

During the 26th lap of the Dutch Grand Prix, Sainz was on the move to pass Lawson on the outside. The pair had battled between the seventh and eighth spot over several laps before the incident in turn one. While the Williams driver was trying to get around Lawson, the Racing Bull defended on the inside. It led Sainz to collide with his front-right, hitting the left rear of the Racing Bulls car mid-corner. Both drivers crawled back to the pits to have tires replaced.

The incident took both Sainz and Lawson out of contention for a points finish, Lawson finishing 12th and Sainz finishing 13th. Sainz is deemed at fault for the incident, which the Spaniard boldly pushed back against. He was forced to serve a ten-second time penalty later in the race.

Strong Words Between Competitors

Sainz didn’t shy away from his feelings about Lawson’s driving after the penalty announcement. He got heated on the radio, calling Lawson stupid and pointing to past issues he’s had with the driver. During an interview after the race, he even alluded to Lawson not being a reliable driver because he couldn’t race side-by-side.

“I’ve raced multiple guys around this track in Turn 1 and multiple quality guys that allow for a side-by-side movement like that in a beautiful corner. Today, I chose to have that side-by-side line with someone that prefers not to have it and prefers to risk an incident and risk losing so many points.”

Lawson is voicing his own frustration, agreeing with the stewards that he did nothing wrong. There is a rule in place that the driver on the inside has the right of way in a corner. That would mean most incidents in those corners would be considered the fault of the outside driver.

Inconsistent Calls Causing Frustration

Based on the rule the FIA was operating under, it makes sense that Sainz would be the most likely driver to receive the penalty. While that is the rule, it’s important to view both Sainz and Lawson’s onboard videos before the crash. It shows Lawson checking up right in the middle of the turn, in turn leading to a correction and the collision. It would make more sense for the call to be considered a racing incident if Lawson were trying to correct himself during the turn.

This incident is almost a close recreation of another crash that happened last year between Sainz and former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez. While this crash occurred on a straightaway, both cars had a similar collision that resulted in a crash into the wall. No penalties were given, and it was called a racing incident. While the crash didn’t happen on a turn, it’s the same sort of issue that both Lawson and Sainz had during the Grand Prix.

End Of My F1 Drama Rant

Frustrations between the two drivers were high, not just because of the collision and damage, but also due to their position in the season. Lawson was looking to score points for his third consecutive time, while Sainz was aiming for a top finish after a rough start in Williams. The call by the stewards was excessive at best, and would be a lot easier to agree with if it weren’t a full ten seconds. It just looks like the FIA wanted to show who was boss as we enter the back half of the season.

Sainz and Lawson were the only two names making headlines because of this Grand Prix. Ferrari experienced significant setbacks with both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc not finishing due to crashes and mechanical issues. The good news is that Lawson’s teammate, Isack Hadjar, achieved his first-ever podium finish at the racing event, finishing just behind Max Verstappen. It’s easy to say that F1 is officially back for the season.