Pundit fact-checks Carlos Sainz's claim that he was 5 seconds late in Japan

Sky Sports commentator David Croft said that Carlos Sainz was 20 seconds late arriving to the national anthem ahead of last week's Japanese Grand Prix, as opposed to the five seconds previously claimed by the driver. The Spaniard had mentioned that he felt hard done by the €10,000 fine that was imposed on him for the incident.

Carlos Sainz was slapped with a €10,000 fine by the FIA after arriving late to the national anthem last week at the Japanese GP. His fine had been reduced from the original €60,000 fine after a doctor verified that the Spaniard had stomach issues prior to the national anthem.

The fine became somewhat of a hot topic coming into this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, especially after Sainz criticized the FIA for fining him for what he claimed to be just a five-second delay.

During the FP3 session at the Bahrain GP on Saturday, Sky Sports lead commentator David Croft fact-checked Sainz's claims, suggesting that the 30-year-old was actually 20 seconds late.

"At the press conference, Carlos Sainz said that a €10,000 fine was a little unfair for a five second delay. He wasn't five seconds late for the national anthem, he was 15 seconds late into the sectioned off area. So he was about 20 seconds late for the national anthem, which had already started by the time he got there," Croft said.

After this moment, Croft's co-commentator Karun Chandhok noted that even if Carlos Sainz was 20 seconds late, the fine applied to him amounted to $500 a second. Chandhok also referred to the €7,000 fine Alex Albon received for impeding Luke Browning during the FP1 session on Friday, highlighting the inconsistencies in the fines applied by the FIA.

---

Carlos Sainz blasted the FIA for his Japanese GP national anthem fine

Carlos Sainz during FP3 at the Bahrain Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Speaking ahead of the Bahrain GP on Thursday, Carlos Sainz said that it was unacceptable that he had to pay a €10,000 fine for being five seconds late to the national anthem in Japan the previous week. The Williams driver mentioned he was the biggest supporter of punctuality but disagreed with the heavy fine.

Speaking to members of the media, Sainz made his feelings about the fine crystal clear, saying:

"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. So I was the first one to put my hand up and say: ‘I’m late. I’m sorry for that’," Sainz said [via CNN Sports].

"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. I don’t know if I’m going to get another fine for saying this, but s**t happens,” he added.

As previously mentioned, it was even revealed later that Sainz had been struggling with a stomach issue and a trip to the toilet was the reason behind him being late to the national anthem. But as things stand, the Spaniard will have to pay his reduced fine to the FIA either way.