Former F1 champion criticizes Carlos Sainz for his ‘mistake’ in Melbourne: “He went in too deep”

Former Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill has criticized Carlos Sainz for his Lap 57 move at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix that saw him pick up a five-second penalty and finish P12.

With just three laps left in the race, Kevin Magnussen's right-rear wheel came off following a crash when he was exiting Turn 2, which brought out the red flag for the second time in Melbourne last weekend.

When the race eventually restarted, there was chaos across the grid, starting with Fernando Alonso being spun around by Sainz. Further down the track, Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly collided while Logan Sargeant bumped into Nyck de Vries. This led to the red flag coming for the third time at Albert Park.

Before the race resumed, this time behind a safety car, the stewards handed Sainz a five-second penalty for his incident with Alonso. While the Ferrari driver was visibly upset with the decision, 1996 F1 champion Hill has stated that the Spaniard only has himself to blame.

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Hill said (via racingnews365):

"I'm sorry, but I think it was Carlos' mistake. He went in too deep and he used up too much track, and there wasn't really much more Fernando could do to get out the way."

Comparing Sainz's move to Lewis Hamilton's overtake of Max Verstappen on the opening lap of the race, the 62-year-old said:

"You don't go in too deep and get yourself in a compromised position. It was almost identical to the move Lewis did on Max, and Lewis got through."

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Fernando Alonso defends Carlos Sainz following 2023 F1 Australian GP time penalty

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso came to the defense of fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz after the stewards handed the Ferrari driver a five-second penalty for crashing into the two-time world champion at the 2023 Australian GP.

The penalty dropped Sainz from P4 to P12, meaning he left Melbourne with no points gained.

Speaking at a post-race press conference, Alonso defended Carlos Sainz, saying:

"Probably the penalty is too harsh because on lap one it is very difficult always to judge what the grip level is and I think we don’t go intentionally into another car because we know that we risk also our car and our final position."

"So sometimes you ended up in places that you wish you were not there in that moment. And it’s just part of racing. I didn’t see the replay properly, but for me, it feels too harsh."