Carlos Sainz: A ‘pretty expensive poo’ saw F1 driver fined more than $11,000. His cursing response might cost him again

Williams driver Carlos Sainz could face a further fine after swearing in a press conference when criticizing a penalty he received at last week’s Japanese Grand Prix. The Spaniard was fined €10,000 (around $11,340) by the FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, for arriving late on the grid for the national anthem in Suzuka. The penalty had been reduced after a doctor verified that Sainz had experienced stomach issues prior to the race, requiring him to go to the toilet. He was given medication for the problem. Ahead of Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, the 30-year-old swore in his pre-race press conference as he criticized the FIA’s decision. “I’m the biggest supporter of punctuality and being, in a way, a gentleman, being punctual to things, and especially a national anthem, with all the authorities there,” Sainz told reporters on Thursday. “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 or whatever the fine is, for me, it is out of the question that we are having to pay these fines. “But yeah, I don’t know if I’m going to get another fine for saying this, but sh*t happens.” According to the FIA’s guidelines, drivers can be fined up to €60,000 ($68,377) for being late for a race host’s national anthem. In rules brought in by the FIA ahead of this season, F1 drivers can now be penalized – with monetary fines or by losing championship points – for swearing in press conferences. Fines start at €40,000 ($41,600) for a driver’s first offense, with it doubling for a second breach as well as a suspended one-month ban. A third offense can bring a fine of €120,000 ($125,000), a one-month ban and the loss of championship points. Mercedes driver George Russell, who is head of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, jokingly called the bathroom trip a “pretty expensive poo” as he sympathized with Sainz. “It’s not quite as straightforward as people may think for us to be there on time,” the British driver told reporters. “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. Russell sympathized with Sainz, as well as expressing his frustrations at the fines handed out by the FIA. Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images “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.” Russell also expressed his frustration at the lack of progress he and his fellow drivers have had in their negotiations with the FIA over fines. “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,” the 27-year-old said. “Unfortunately, it has had little or no impact. “All of the drivers have 100% trust and faith in (F1 president) Stefano (Domenicali) 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.” CNN has contacted the FIA for further comment on its fines policy.

Source: edition.cnn.com