Furious Sainz criticizes Lawson and the FIA following the Dutch Grand Prix.

      "Perhaps it’s about choosing battles more wisely."

      On September 1 (GMM), Carlos Sainz’s season of discontent reached a peak at Zandvoort, where the Williams driver expressed his frustration towards rival Liam Lawson and the FIA stewards. As he lacks a Ferrari seat for 2025 and has been overlooked by other leading teams, Sainz's patience seemed to be turning into anger following the Dutch GP. "Today reflects the story of my season," he grimaced after finishing outside the points. "I'm beginning to feel quite upset because once again, I'm quick, I was ahead of Alex (Albon) yet again, and he ends up P5 while I finish without any points."

      The tipping point came during a collision with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, who was dropped from Red Bull's senior team earlier this year. Sainz received a 10-second penalty, which he described as "the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life." "Perhaps it’s about choosing battles better," he told DAZN. "It’s evident that Lawson isn’t someone you can attempt to race wheel to wheel with. Honestly, I wasn’t even trying to overtake; I was just pressuring him to push wide, so he could end up on dirty tires, and then I’d have a chance on the next lap. Yet, he opted to crash rather than simply maintain his position."

      Sainz distinguished Lawson from the "top drivers" he has competed against recently. "There are drivers with whom you can race wheel to wheel - Checo, Fernando, Gasly, Verstappen, Leclerc, Piastri," he noted. "With Liam, this isn't the first time something like this has occurred in this category, but it is what it is." He further elaborated in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo, accusing the New Zealander of taking "an opportunity to take another driver out." When asked if Lawson was a dirty driver, Sainz responded: "No, but he prefers making contact to being overtaken."

      Regarding the stewards’ decision, he was equally critical. "The notion that the driver on the outside becomes a mere passenger based on the actions of the driver on the inside is unbelievable and makes no sense. Someone needs to explain this to me. What I experienced today concerns me not just for myself but for motorsport in general. It seems outrageous to penalize the driver on the outside, who had no involvement in the collision, and reflects a severe lack of consistency."

      Sainz, recently appointed as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, pledged to pursue the issue further. "As the director of the GPDA, this obviously troubles me, and it troubles me a lot," he stated. "I will approach the FIA and seek an explanation."