A five-second delay costs €10,000: Carlos Sainz denounces excessive fine

Carlos Sainz sharply criticized the FIA for the €10,000 fine imposed on him after arriving a few seconds late to the national anthem before the Japanese Grand Prix. The Williams driver appeared on the grid slightly late due to an urgent gastric issue, a situation he considers unjustly penalized.

During Thursday’s press conference before the Bahrain Grand Prix, Sainz expressed his dissatisfaction with what he considers a disproportionate penalty, while acknowledging the importance of respecting the national anthem: “I think I am the biggest supporter of punctuality, especially for a national anthem in the presence of authorities. So I was the first to raise my hand and say: ‘I’m late, I’m sorry.’ At the same time, I was five seconds late. And having to pay 10,000 euros for being five seconds late, for me, it’s unthinkable to have to pay that kind of fine,” said the Spaniard.

A reduced but still contested sanction

Initially, the amount stipulated by the regulation for this type of infraction was set at €60,000. The commissioners had recognized mitigating circumstances, notably the fact that the circuit doctor had confirmed Sainz’s gastric problem and provided him with medication. The fine was therefore reduced to €20,000, with half suspended for a year.

Despite this, the Spanish driver remains perplexed by the rigidity of the system, risking another fine for his colorful remarks during the press conference: “I don’t know if I’m going to get fined again for saying this, but **** happens. That’s how it is. Sometimes things turn out that way. I mean, 10,000… you know what that means here. For five seconds, it’s disappointing,” he added, before questioning the destination of this amount: “As I have always said, I hope they tell me where those 10,000 euros go, and I can at least tell myself it was for a good cause. I look forward to seeing where they go.”

The GPDA and Russell support Sainz

George Russell, Mercedes driver and president of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), also commented on this situation, ironically calling the incident extremely costly toilets for his colleague. Russell expressed his frustration over the lack of impact from the discussions between drivers and the FIA on these issues: “We’ve been talking about it intermittently for six months now. Honestly, I no longer even want to pay attention to it, from a personal perspective, because I’ve already said everything I had to say over these months. Unfortunately, it has had little or no impact,” Russell explained.

The Briton highlighted the logistical difficulty for drivers to consistently be on time for official ceremonies, particularly between getting out of the car and the start of the national anthem: “It’s not as simple as one might think to be on time. We often run to the bathroom, and sometimes there just isn’t one between the time we get out of the car and when we need to go for the anthem. We are stopped by people, there’s the grid, or individuals who request a quick interview, so it’s not like we have just one task and that’s it,” he clarified.

A broader debate on fines in Formula 1

This matter arises in a broader context of ongoing tension regarding the governance of the FIA under the presidency of Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Last January, new strict guidelines concerning drivers’ language had already been implemented, prompting criticism.

The drivers now seem to place their trust in Stefano Domenicali, president of Formula 1, to resolve these disputes and establish a more constructive collaboration with the governing body of motorsport.