Carlos Sainz has apologized to Alexander Albon. The Spaniard collided with his teammate during the Dutch GP, causing the British-Thai driver’s race to end prematurely. According to Sainz, the penalty he received for the incident was justified, while Albon describes the moment as ‘not too serious’: “It was not a Verstappen-Ricciardo incident,” he says.
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While all attention at the front of the field was on Lando Norris’s victory and Mercedes’ team orders, the Williams drivers gave their own team a scare. Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon touched, after which they both went off the track. The Spaniard admitted his fault after the race.
“It was a fair penalty,” says Sainz about the sanction he received for the incident. “I was a bit surprised at the moment I tried to defend my position. I had very old hard tires and was struggling a lot with the car. When I braked, I went over a bump. The front wheels then flew through the air, causing me to lock up. I hit Alex, and that was really the worst-case scenario imaginable. Especially because we are not fighting for anything. I therefore apologize to him, because it is the last thing I wanted.”
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‘Was not a Verstappen-Ricciardo incident’
Albon also shared his side of the incident. “However, it was not a Verstappen-Ricciardo incident,” the driver refers to the crash between the then Red Bull teammates during the 2018 Azerbaijan GP. “It was not that serious, but it was Carlos’s fault. He locked up. Unfortunately, we then made contact and I suffered significant damage to my floor.” The British-Thai driver was therefore unable to finish his race.
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