Carlos Sainz defends Lewis Hamilton after FIA hands 5-place grid penalty to Ferrari driver in Zandvoort

Carlos Sainz has weighed in on the penalty handed to Lewis Hamilton ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. The Spaniard detailed that the decision-making of the race stewards took too long, which has since cost the British driver grid positions for the race in Monza.

The FIA, following the conclusion of the Dutch Grand Prix, announced that Hamilton would serve a five-place grid penalty at the next race in Italy for not slowing down enough under a double-waved yellow ahead of the start of the Zandvoort race. Sainz, who was quizzed about it during his interaction with the media, stated:

“Lewis’s incident, the decision process took too long, and he’s now having to suffer a penalty in Monza when he did nothing wrong in Monza.”

Sainz, on his part, appears to be displeased with the decision of the race stewards in Zandvoort as he was also handed a 10-second penalty for an incident involving Liam Lawson during the 72-lap race. The 31-year-old and the Williams Racing team have since announced they will exercise their right of review in line with the FIA regulations regarding penalty appeals.

Lewis Hamilton and the Scuderia Ferrari team, on the other hand, appear to have accepted the verdict. The British driver will start the Grand Prix at the ‘Temple of Speed’ no higher than in sixth place.

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Lewis Hamilton reacts to his grid penalty from Zandvoort

Lewis Hamilton also weighed in on the penalty he received following his outing at the Dutch Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion admitted to being shocked by the decision of the race stewards regarding the penalty.

Hamilton, who spoke to the media ahead of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, admitted to being frustrated by the decision. He also labelled the penalty as harsh, especially considering the timing.

"I don't know how the other drivers felt about the decisions from the last race, but when I landed back home and saw I got this penalty, I was really shocked, to be honest.

"But it is what it is. It's obviously not black and white. The fact is, if you look at the [stewards'] report, I did lift, but to their liking not enough, so that's why I guess they're saying not more. To get the penalty and get penalty points was pretty hardcore, but I learn from it, and there is no point whinging about it, I'll move forward.”

Lewis Hamilton, however, concluded by detailing that he was more motivated to make up places through the race and will definitely learn from the incident overall.

"It's going to be challenging this weekend. Qualifying is already so close between us all. So, just getting into Q3 is tough, getting in the top five is very, very tough, and on top of that, to be set back five places is not great when you're going into your first Monza GP with Ferrari. But it gives me more to fight for, and I'm very motivated to make up those places, regardless."

The former Mercedes driver boasts fond memories of racing around the iconic Monza circuit, recording five victories at the track throughout his career. However, Lewis Hamilton is yet to taste a race win at the Italian Grand Prix since the 2018 season.