Lawson and Sainz Clash Over Collision That Cost Crucial Finishing Points

The Dutch GP was full of drivers colliding into one another like Kimi and Leclerc, but we’ll be focusing on Lawson and Sainz! With the clash between them costing them both points and giving the Spaniard a penalty, Lawson is mad. So let’s get into it right now and see what needs to happen and why.

The Lawson and Sainz Clash

At the Dutch GP, the Racing Bull of Lawson and the Williams of Sainz were side by side into turn 1 when the two cars were side by side for about half a second. Then they clashed into each other’s sides, and Sainz walked away with both damage and a 10-second penalty. This meant he finished 14th, leaving with 0 points in a season where he was hyped to be Williams’ leading man, but his teammate, Albon, earned 10 points after finishing 5th.

However, if that’s bad, Lawson, despite finishing 13th, a spot ahead of Sainz, had it even worse. Because his rookie teammate Hadjar had a career day, his impressive performance was capped off with his first career podium. With his podium to Lawson’s zero and a bigger season point total completely overshadowing the fact that Lawson, until this week, had beaten Hadjar every race starting from the Spanish GP.

And after Lawson’s terrible start to the year with the main team, he’s back to form, scoring points and looking fast again. So, with the two clashing drivers currently in the middle of disappointing races and seasons. It’s no surprise they took out some of their anger on each other in the media, the first chance they got.

Comments They Made Post-Race

The two drivers had words for each other and, in the case of Sainz, for the FIA, too, while he’s at it. With Carlos Sainz calling the 10-second penalty “a complete joke,” he sounded as fiery as he was articulate. “The incident is quite clear, no? How many examples have we seen in Turn one at Zandvoort of two cars racing side by side without contact?

It allows cars to race each other without having unnecessary contact. Still, with Liam, it always seems to be very difficult to make that happen.”[Liam] prefers to have a bit of contact and risk a DNF or a puncture like we did than to actually accept having two cars side by side, which hopefully will come with more experience for him because he knows he’s putting too many points on the line just for an unnecessary maneuver like he did.

But on top of that, to then get a 10-second penalty for it, I think it’s a complete joke. Honestly, I need to go now to the stewards to get an explanation to see what their point of view of the incident is because it’s unacceptable.”I think it’s not the level of the stewards in Formula 1 if they are really considering that to be a 10-second penalty on my behalf.

I think it’s a serious matter now that concerns me as a driver and as a GPDA director, and it’s something that I will make sure I raise.” Now, as you can guess, the outspoken Kiwi Lawson was not happy at all with what Sainz said or that he had spoken to the press, in fact. “Obviously, I’m not happy either—it ruined my day,” said the Racing Bulls driver. But that’s the way it is.”I’ve been in a similar situation this year trying to overtake, and I thought the other guy should have given me space, and they didn’t, and I got a penalty.

The fact is that he initiated the situation. He attacked; it was risky. He was fined, and now he can say whatever he wants.”I suggest he talk to me personally, not through the press. The rules are as they are written. We all know how they are written, regardless of how much we disagree.

I don’t really agree with the penalty either, but for it to be his corner, he has to be ahead at the apex—and he wasn’t even close. I think that’s why he got a penalty.” Racing Bulls are 20 points behind Williams in the Constructors standings for 5th at the moment. No doubt that, on top of their frustrating days and seasons, this also played a role in their beef. Thanks a bunch for reading!