Carlos Sainz criticises FIA over 'disappointing' fine for being late to national anthem at Japanese GP
Carlos Sainz was fined €10,000 for being late to the grid for the national anthem ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix; watch Friday's practice sessions for the Bahrain GP at 12.30pm and 4pm live on Sky Sports F1
Thursday 10 April 2025 16:45, UK
Carlos Sainz has hit out at the FIA for fining him €10,000 (£8,614) after an upset stomach caused him to be "five seconds" late to the pre-race rendition of the national anthem at last weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
The Williams driver arrived at the front of the grid moments after the anthem had begun in Suzuka, having unexpectedly needed to use the toilet.
A doctor at the circuit verified that Sainz was suffering from a "stomach issue" and had been provided with medication.
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Due to what they considered to be "in mitigation" of the circumstances, the stewards reduced the prescribed penalty of €60,000 (£51,689) for such a breach of the regulations to €20,000 (£17,229), with half of the amount suspended subject to there being no further breaches in the next year.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, Sainz said: "I think I'm the biggest supporter of punctuality and being punctual to things, especially a national anthem, with all the authorities there.
"So I was the first one to put my hand up and say, 'I'm late, I'm sorry for that'.
"At the same time, I was five seconds late. And to be five seconds late and have to pay €10,000 euros, for me is out of the question that we're having to pay these fines."
Driver fines have been a contentious issue under the leadership of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, with strict new guidelines on swearing announced in January.
Sainz therefore risked further financial punishment as he continued to question the Suzuka decision.
The Spaniard said: "I don't know if I'm going to get another fine for saying this but **** happens. That's the way it is. It's the way it goes sometimes.
"I mean 10k, you guys know what 10k is here. For five seconds, it's disappointing."
"As I always said, I hope someone tells me where this 10k goes and I can say at least it went for a nice cause, and I will be looking forward to see where they go."
'An expensive poo' - Russell tired of fighting FIA
Mercedes driver George Russell, who is also head of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA), expressed his frustration at the lack of impact achieved by the drivers' attempts to reason with the FIA over fines.
The Brit joked that it had been "a pretty expensive poo" for Sainz, before explaining his general stance on the situation, which he says has now become heavily reliant on Formula 1 president Stefano Domenicali.
Russell said: "We've been talking about this on and off for six months now.
"In all honesty, I don't even want to give any more airtime from my own personal perspective, because we've sort of said everything I've had to say over these months. Unfortunately, it has had little or no impact.
"All of the drivers have 100 per cent trust and faith in Stefano and F1 and we know that they work together with the teams, and it's in all of our interest to make something come of all of this, and just to see stability and collaboration moving forward.
"We just want collaboration. It just doesn't make any sense to be to be fighting on these topics."
Russell added that he understood the importance of the drivers being in position for the national anthem, but explained why it can be difficult for the sport's stars to make it there in time.
He added: "It's not quite as straightforward as people may think for us to be there on time.
"We're often running to the toilet and there's sometimes just not toilets available between the time you jump out of the car and go to the anthem. You get stopped by some people, have a grid or people asking for a quick interview, so it's not like we've got one sole job and that's only it.
"We're trying to take our moment before the Grand Prix and being there on that minute is sometimes not straightforward."
Sky Sports F1's Bahrain GP schedule
Friday April 11
- 8.50am: F3 Practice
- 10am: F2 Practice
- 12pm: Bahrain GP Practice One (session starts at 12.30pm)*
- 1.55pm: F3 Qualifying
- 2.40pm: F2 Qualifying
- 3.35pm: Bahrain GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)
- 5.15pm: The F1 Show
Saturday April 12
- 11.10am: F3 Sprint Race
- 1.15pm: Bahrain GP Practice Three (session starts at 1.30pm)
- 3.10pm: F2 Sprint
- 4.10pm: Bahrain GP Qualifying build-up
- 5pm: BAHRAIN GP QUALIFYING
- 7pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook
Sunday April 13
- 10.50am: F3 Feature Race
- 12.20pm: F2 Feature Race
- 2.30pm: Bahrain GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday
- 4pm: THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
- 6pm: Bahrain GP reaction: Chequered Flag
- 7pm: Ted's Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 continues its triple-header in Sakhir at the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - No contract, cancel anytime
