Sainz criticises Piastri’s “optimistic” move in Belgian GP F1 clash

The pair got here collectively on the opening lap of Sunday’s Spa race, with Sainz, who began fourth, locking up and colliding with Piastri on the within of Flip 1.

The McLaren was pinched in opposition to the within wall, damaging its suspension and ripping the facet of the Ferrari’s proper sidepod, with Piastri slowing on the run downhill to Eau Rouge and later stopping.

Although the stewards took no motion over the incident, Sainz mentioned he felt the rookie ought to have yielded, particularly given Sainz was mid-fight with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.

He mentioned: “He attacked with Lewis and I just about had the transfer accomplished into Flip 1.

“Hit the apex cleanly and the whole lot however sadly I believe Oscar was attempting to do a little bit of an optimistic transfer on me.

“Yeah, a little bit of a disgrace as a result of if you evaluate the previous races right here in Spa and you recognize what has been the standard Flip 1 incidents, it’s precisely that.

“Everybody who tries the within line into Flip 1 and tries to essentially make round there usually generates an incident or a crash and this time it was my flip to obtain.”

Sainz insisted he didn’t go deep on the nook, although he accepted he locked up, and mentioned he “made completely the apex and handed Lewis.”

He mentioned he knew Piastri was on the within, however added: “In some unspecified time in the future somebody must again out and he’s the man who’s alongside my rear-right that I believe must again off and transfer, not me, and let him move me into Flip 1, particularly once I’m just about having my transfer accomplished with Lewis.”

Sainz mentioned the automobile was “undriveable just about” however continued in case of a pink flag earlier than retiring as soon as the rain had handed.

Piastri mentioned he felt the incident was “fairly firmly within the class of a lap one, Flip 1 incident” however mentioned it was “a disgrace” after his dash race podium on Saturday, ending second behind Max Verstappen.

Explaining the incident, he mentioned: “I acquired a superb begin and acquired my nostril alongside, after which after we acquired to the braking zone Carlos moved a bit to the precise and locked up and I additionally needed to try to keep away from {that a} bit.

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23, Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60, collide at the beginning

Photograph by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Photographs

“From there to the apex, my choices have been fairly restricted on the place I may go.

“I’ll look again over it and see if there was extra I may have accomplished however yeah, only a disgrace that we’re standing right here and never nonetheless on monitor.”

Piastri mentioned he felt each drivers “may have accomplished issues a bit in a different way,” however added: “It’s a really tight Flip 1, Carlos additionally didn’t have many choices from the place Lewis was both, so it’s a disgrace.”

He informed Motorsport.com: “I believe from Carlos’s standpoint, the transfer to the precise shocked me a bit.

“Then for myself, I believe from there I used to be fairly restricted, possibly I may have braked a bit later and been additional alongside, however it’s very simple to say that with hindsight.

“I believe as soon as I used to be in that place it was fairly exhausting to both go ahead or go backwards, and I used to be type of caught.

“I attempted to do the perfect I may from that place however there wasn’t a lot I may do.”

The Australian mentioned he had suffered a entrance puncture and damaged steering within the crash, forcing him to drive up Eau Rouge “with about 180-degrees of lock and nonetheless going straight.”

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