Sainz hit with five-second time penalty after collision with Piastri in Miami Grand Prix

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Carlos Sainz has been hit with a five-second time penalty – along with one penalty point on his licence – after being deemed to have caused a collision with Oscar Piastri during the Miami Grand Prix.

Sainz had been attempting to overtake the McLaren into Turn 17 during the latter stages of the race when he slightly lost the rear of his Ferrari and made contact with the Australian’s car. This resulted in Piastri picking up damage on his front wing, forcing him to make a pit stop which dropped him down the order.

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After a stewards’ hearing attended by both drivers and their respective team representatives, it was decided that Sainz was to blame for the incident, with the Spaniard having missed the apex after braking late, which then caused him to lose the rear. The stewards stated that Piastri had given “sufficient room” for Sainz.

However, it was also taken into account that, without Sainz slightly losing the rear, the collision would “likely not have happened”, meaning that the standard penalty of 10 seconds and two penalty points was changed to a five-second penalty and one penalty point.

Sainz had originally crossed the line in fourth, but the penalty will drop him down to fifth, subsequently promoting Sergio Perez up into P4.

More to follow…