Sainz In Disbelief After Controversial Penalty: 'You Won't See Me Happy This Weekend'

Saturday, 18 November 2023 at 01:00

Updated at Saturday, 18 November 2023 at 01:31

Carlos Sainz reacted to the Free Practice Session One incident and the following penalty, which will set him back ten places for the start of the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver Carlos Sainz damaged his car as he went over a loose manhole cover during the FP1 session. While this incident wasn't the Spaniard's or his team's fault, it was decided he would receive a penalty if he changed his damaged power unit.

As the power unit was completely damaged, according to the words of his team principal, Sianz had no other option than to change it. As quoted by RacingNews365, Sainz told the media:

“"What happened today is a very clear example of how this sport can be improved in so many ways. This could've been applied as force majeure for me to not take a penalty but people always find ways to make the situation worse for an individual."”

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It was uncertain for a while whether Sainz would actually be able to make the FP2, as his car needed to be repaired. However, in the end, he attended FP2 and finished P2 at the end behind his teammate. 29-year old commented on FP2:

“"We seem to be switching the tires well over one lap and be competitive. So I was excited and optimistic. Unfortunately, when the session finished, the team communicated that I was taking a 10-place gird penalty for something that I had no fault and the team had no fault."”

With the pace that Scuderia Ferrari drivers showed during Free Practice Session Two at Las Vegas Strip Circuit, it seemed like they could challenge the Red Bulls for the win.

On the other hand, Carlos Sainz will be on a back foot going into the race, starting at least from the 10th position on the grid in the best-case scenario. The Ferrari driver, he media won't see him happy this weekend.

“"This has completely changed my mindset and my opinion on the weekend and how the weekend is going to go from now on. You can obviously see how disappointed and in disbelief I am with the situation. You won't see me happy this weekend."”