Antonelli’s reaction
In the first free practice session of the Belgian Grand Prix, there was a tense moment between Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who later posted the best time in FP2, and Carlos Sainz. The Bolognese Mercedes driver, on his fast lap, found the Williams Spaniard in front of him at reduced speed, forcing him to brake sharply to avoid a collision. Once he overtook, Antonelli vented over the radio with the team, calling Sainz an “idiot”.
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Sainz responds
The former Ferrari driver was not penalized by the Stewards for this misunderstanding on track, but he still urged the young championship leader to calm down in certain situations like this. Interviewed by AS, Sainz was very clear on the matter: “Nothing happened. I think he thought I had blocked him, but I’m not convinced. Maybe he thought I should have moved better, but I don’t think he should have called me an idiot over the radio. I think it’s forbidden to insult another competitor, so he should calm down a bit“.
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Friday was overall difficult for Sainz not only because of the incident with Antonelli, but also due to another warning from the Stewards, who found #55 guilty of cutting the pit lane entry line, then staying on track after entering the lane: “It was a mistake by the team to tell me to stay on track so late and on my part to listen to them – he added taking responsibility – maybe I should have gone straight into the pits. We were in practice and that lap was important to charge the battery for the soft tires. I chose the easier way, but yes, it’s understandable”.
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