Carlos Sainz risks further punishment for swearing in response to being fined for missing the national anthem at the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix.
Sainz was fined €20,000, with half suspended, for missing the Japanese national anthem at Suzuka last weekend.
It proved to be a costly toilet break that landed Sainz in hot water, and he feels the punishment was egregious given he missed the ceremony by the slimmest of margins.
“I think I’m the biggest supporter of punctuality and the way I tend to value things, and especially a national anthem with all the authorities,” he told media, including Motorsport Week, in the Bahrain GP press conference.
“I was the first one to put my hand up and say, I’m late, I’m sorry for that.
“At the same time, I was five seconds late, and to be five seconds late and have to pay 10,000, it’s for me, out of the question that we’re having to pay this money.”
However, Sainz could have landed himself in hot water with his continued remarks.
“But yeah, I don’t know if I’m gonna get a fine saying this but, shit happens,” he added.
“And it’s the way it goes sometimes.”
Why could Sainz get in trouble?
F1 drivers and those in wider motorsport are subject to strict penalties for swearing during media-facing activities.
In F1, the first offence amounts to a €40,000 fine, with a second offence costing €80,000 and a suspended one-month suspension.
Three strikes, and you’re out, with a third offence costing a €120,000 fine and a one-month suspension.
WRC driver Adrien Forumaux has already fallen foul of these penalties, which are more lenient on the rallying scene, but this prompted widespread backlash from the driving fraternity in the series.
The WRC drivers have since formed a driving body to voice their displeasure with the FIA over fines for swearing, and held a vow of silence during end-of-stage interviews at Safari Rally Kenya.
Max Verstappen was handed a punishment of “some work of public interest” when he was caught swearing in a press conference last year.
Time will tell whether Sainz uttering the word shit is enough to land him in trouble with the FIA.
Of greater concern to Sainz, however, is knowing where fines are being spent.
“And you guys know what the thing is here. For five seconds, it’s disappointing,” he said of his recent punishment.
“I hope someone tells me where this 10K goes, and they say, OK, at least it went to a nice cause.”
This was an issue raised by the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, of which Sainz is now a Director, last year, but FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said such matters aren’t of F1 drivers’ concern.
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