Overview

• Contact occurred at the safety‑car restart when Carlos Sainz tried to go around the outside of Liam Lawson into Turn 1, giving both drivers punctures and ending their points chances.
• Stewards said Sainz’s front axle was not ahead at the apex, giving Lawson the right to the corner, and imposed a 10‑second penalty plus two licence points after reviewing video, telemetry and radio.
• Sainz denounced the verdict as a “complete joke,” said he would seek an explanation from officials, and argued he was positioning for later in the lap rather than committing to an outside pass.
• Lawson rejected blame, saying he followed the rules on a slippery restart and urged Sainz to speak to him privately rather than criticize him publicly.
• Williams teammate Alex Albon and some analysts questioned the call, pointing to footage that appeared to show Lawson opening the wheel, feeding a broader debate over stewarding consistency.