Carlos Sainz fury puts stewards' "randomness" under intense glare

Carlos Sainz has been backed for his furious reaction to being penalised at the F1 Dutch Grand Prix.

Williams driver Sainz was handed a 10-second time penalty for a clash with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson at the safety car restart.

Carlos Sainz was limited to a P13 finish but vented his anger at the decision.

He referred to the FIA’s decision as a “complete joke” and questioned the competency of the stewards, asking if they were at the required level for F1.

“I think it's a serious matter now that concerns me as a driver, as a GPA director, and something that I will make sure of,” Sainz fumed.

Sky Sports’ Naomi Schiff agreed with Sainz: “You can see why he felt hard done by.

“He was pretty vocal over the radio, adamant that it was Liam’s fault. When you look at it, maybe it is balanced, maybe it is a racing incident.

“But 10 seconds for something like that? Very harsh. I understand his frustration.”

Jacques Villeneuve has his say on Carlos Sainz v Liam Lawson

Jacques Villeneuve assessed the clash: “A racing incident. More on Liam’s side, but still a racing incident.

“There is a rule saying ‘no erratic driving’ but he got sideways, that is erratic.

“Ultimately it’s a mistake, he wanted to move Sainz out of the way. He has the right of line, he was quite a bit ahead. But, a racing incident.

“Remember in Vegas, Sainz got penalised for being in Lawson’s position. He went on the inside, went sideways, touched the car, he got a penalty.

“So what’s frustrating is the randomness of the decision-making from the marshals.”

Lawson was critical of how Sainz used his media interviews to point the finger of blame.

Lawson was also left annoyed by their clash insisting it “ruined my day”.

The Racing Bulls driver insisted that Sainz was the driver who was penalised by the FIA, so he can “make all of the comments that he liked”.

Lawson urged Sainz to discuss any problems privately rather than in front of TV cameras.