Carlos Sainz voices frustration after 'unacceptable' Oscar Piastri penalty

Carlos Sainz has labelled Oscar Piastri's 10-second time penalty at the São Paulo Grand Prix as an “unacceptable” punishment.

Piastri was issued the ruling following an early race incident with Kimi Antonelli at Turn 1 in Interlagos as they battled for position.

Contact was made between the pair, which pitched Antonelli into Charles Leclerc and eliminated the Ferrari driver from the grand prix.

Piastri served his penalty during a pit stop and ended the race in fifth place, losing further ground to Lando Norris in the title fight.

But Sainz has called for a rethink over how on-track incidents are assessed as he declared Piastri innocent in the São Paulo clash.

“I think we urgently need a catch-up and try [to] solve it,” Sainz told media including RacingNews365.

“The fact that Oscar got a penalty there in Brazil is unacceptable, honestly, for the category that we are in and being the pinnacle of motorsport.

“Everyone who has seen racing knows that it is not Oscar's fault at all. And everyone who's really racing race cars knows he could have done nothing to avoid an accident there and he got a 10-second penalty.”

Sainz highlighted his annoyance with the stewards' approach is not solely tied to Piastri's incident, pointing to his own scenarios this year in which he felt the punishment outweighed the crime.

“For me, it’s something that I don't understand,” he said. 

“I didn't understand my Zandvoort penalty. I didn't understand why Olli [Bearman] got a penalty when we both collided in Monza.

“He was not deserving of that penalty and I told him straight [after] the race.

“I didn't understand how I got a ten-second in Austin.

“There have not been one, but multiple incidents this year that, for me, are far from where the sport should be.”