Sainz Handed Five Place Grid Penalty for Mexico After Antonelli Collision

Sports

Returning from the 2025 United States Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz has been hit with a five-place grid penalty at the upcoming Mexico City Grand Prix after a collision with Kimi Antonelli during the Austin race weekend.

The incident occurred on lap 7 at Turn 15 when Sainz attempted an inside overtaking move on Antonelli’s car. As Antonelli took a normal line into the corner, Sainz locked his brakes and made contact with the Mercedes rookie, triggering Sainz’s retirement from the race while Antonelli continued albeit with damage. The stewards reviewed video and telemetry evidence and determined that Sainz had not positioned his car alongside Antonelli before the apex, and therefore was predominantly at fault. Accordingly, Sainz has also been given two penalty points on his Super Licence.

From Williams’ perspective this setback compounds pressure: Sainz’s retirement cost the team potential points, and the grid drop now puts him on the back foot in Mexico during a key stretch of the season. For Antonelli the damage disrupted his own weekend, and the incident further highlights risks for younger drivers when racing hard against senior rivals.

The stewards’ written decision explained that because Sainz could not serve a time-penalty in Austin due to his retirement, the standard conversion to a grid penalty applies. As a result, his qualifying result for Mexico will be adjusted accordingly. In reaction, Sainz described the clash as “racing gone wrong” and said the moment “looks worse from the outside than it did from the cockpit.”

With the championship chase heating up, every position counts. Sainz’s penalty underscores how crucial clean moves are under pressure, and serves as a reminder that even minor misjudgments can carry race-weekend consequences.