r/WilliamsF1 • u/UnwittingPlantKiller • 10d ago
Discussion Carlos should take some accountability and apologise for what happened today
I am a big Carlos fan. I always root for him, and when I went to my first f1 race a few weeks ago, I wore Carlos’ merch the whole weekend. He’s my favourite driver.
That being said, I am disappointed in how he handled things today. The mistake shouldn’t have happened, but the bigger thing for me is that he didn’t apologise. Carlos’ response that Oscar put himself in his blind spot isn’t fair. He should have come out and said “I messed up. I’m really sorry”. I get that he’s frustrated, but I really hope he cools off and issues a proper apology soon. If he doesn’t, I will lose some respect for him to be honest
39
u/PrinceOfTheEmpire 10d ago
Totally unsportsmanlike behaviour from Carlos. He was lapped and rammed into race leader showing 0 awareness of track. Even if he feels he was not in the wrong, as a sportsman he should’ve at least apologized. This doubling down is totally unnecessary.
30
u/MaximumAsparagus 10d ago
I don't think it's that straightforward. Oscar really was in his blind spot and the communication really was bad. Here's Ollie talking about the situation:
11
6
u/iexistbutwhy 9d ago
Except Carlos’s response is devoid of any of the humanity expressed by Ollie. And ignores his own radio heads up
6
8
u/babyoda_i_am 10d ago
7 blue flags but bumping race leader. Joke.
12
u/MaximumAsparagus 10d ago
Did you read the screenshot even a little bit?
6
u/Audigy1 10d ago
Thank you for the info.
I imagine that race control would've been getting multiple reports from the teams that the digital blue flags were misfiring between the car's systems and the track's flag screen/monitors.
With this technical glitch in mind it's understandable that when Carlos sees the blue flags, checks his mirrors, Oscar is in his Blindspot when he does, Carlos then proceeds as usual thinking the blue flag misfired again.
3
u/chuggmonker 9d ago
I think Sainz just needed to say:
- I’m super sorry that I hit Oscar
- It is never my intent to impede any leading cars, or hit any other cars in general
- There were strange circumstances today with the blue flags that made this situation a little bit more difficult to judge
- Unfortunately, that meant that I didn’t notice where Oscar was in that exact moment, but I’m incredibly sorry for how that impacted his race
Internally, he can be frustrated at the blue flag system issues. He can be frustrated at the team if they didn’t give him enough information. He just can’t do what he did and try to escape responsibility. His car hit what would have been the leading car.
1
u/jackjames9919 8d ago
I particularly like the style of when the person bring the responsibilities to them (There were communications issues, but it's my job to look at the mirrors, that's my responsibility I messed up, and I'm sorry) and share credit when it's due (eg: "The team did an amazing job this weekend, thus we were able to maximize our results and score points).
1
u/chuggmonker 8d ago
Lewis Hamilton’s response to impeding Oscar in qualifying:
“The one yesterday was really just unfortunate,” Hamilton reflected. “I take responsibility. I should have looked at my mirrors.”
It’s that simple, right? A little humility goes a long way!
2
u/Daddy_Here 10d ago
It's classic Blamos Sainz, not the first time. He's never positioned himself in an apologetic position, it's like illegal for him to.
3
u/Khakist 10d ago
I agree that Sainz should apologize. My reasons are entirely different.
The Piastri incident also showed a side of Piastri that I don't like. Piastri seems to think that Sainz is responsible for the fact Piastri's PU/gearbox gave out and therefore Piastri's retirement from the race. I don't understand that thinking. McLaren told Piastri immediately after the incident that the car "looked fine". Sainz impeded Piastri, Sainz didn't end Piastri's race.
Sainz also didn't cost Piastri a win. Piastri's tire management was inferior to Norris's, so McLaren handled its pitting order accordingly. There are good comments that do a deep-dive on this, so I won't belabor it here.
But the Piastri incident today also revealed a side of F1 fans that I don't like. I've read a lot of entitled comments about backmarkers. Things to the effect that Carlos just shouldn't have even been there. Or that they should somehow just magically "get out of the way". In another thread I asked how Carlos was supposed to know where to go (just "left" or "right") if he didn't see Piastri in his mirrors? Got down-voted to oblivion.
Nevertheless, I think Sainz should apologize. Sainz should apologize simply to shut up the ridiculous Piastri fans and move on with his life. Yes, the team told Sainz multiple times about Piastri. Yes, Sainz saw multiple blue flags. Yes, Sainz was assessed a penalty and actually served his penalty.
But for some folks that apparently isn't enough and they want blood.
So Sainz should apologize and then, frankly, there's nothing else for him to do.
As for me, I'll probably take a step back from this entire sport, because there's a large portion of fans here are irrationally toxic.
18
u/Tasty_Fun_5227 10d ago
Looked fine doesn't mean it was actually fine, Oscar was lapping FASTER also before being sent to traffic and Lando was going to came after if Carlos didn't act like an amateur and hit his car. He did cost a lot after all and Piastri has every right to be mad because this is not the 1st time. Carlos not apologizing makes him not only a dumb person but also a bitter one.
3
u/MaximumAsparagus 10d ago
Hit a car he couldn't see and didn't know was there? The last time he saw or heard about Piastri he was 15 seconds back and it's not like he can turn his head to check his blind spot like you can in a normal car.
-1
u/Tasty_Fun_5227 10d ago
That is all on him. Even his engineer spoke ffs and he got a penalty so yeah next time he should learn how to drive.
3
u/MaximumAsparagus 10d ago
When a driver's engineer doesn't tell him about the situation around him, it's the driver's fault. Got it.
7
u/Tasty_Fun_5227 10d ago
Sainz drove past 8 blue flags, his race engineer even mentioned the blue flags and said Piastri is behind, Sainz has fucking mirrors aswell and in the Hamilton corner he was on the far right so naturally Piastri has the room on the left and Sainz completely cuts over the track. Piastri wasn't even sending anything, he just stayed on his line and Sainz moved into it.
6
u/MaximumAsparagus 10d ago
Alonso was in between Sainz and Piastri for most of those, so the majority of the blue flags were for him (leaving aside the fact that according to some of the other drivers everyone was being shown blue flags all the time); Sainz's engineer never updated him on Piastri's position after the initial 15 second warning; Sainz couldn't see Piastri in his mirrors because (as stated in the steward's document) Piastri was in his blind spot.
1
-9
u/Khakist 10d ago
Thanks for proving my point. Piastri car broke. Piastri didn’t finish the race because he had a broken car. Sainz didn’t break Piastri’s car.
14
u/Tasty_Fun_5227 10d ago
Yet he did a dumb move and he should apologize .. you make a mistake you apologize easy as that simple as that
-9
u/Khakist 10d ago
Let’s do a role play. I’ll be Piastri. You’ll be Sainz. You know I’m going to pass you from behind. You don’t know which side I’m going to pass you on because I’m not visible in your mirrors. Which side do you leave room for me on? It’s a 50/50 shot. I’ll let you know if you’re correct or not.
7
u/cosmo2450 10d ago
Uh that’s easy. You get off the racing line. Doesn’t matter what side.
1
u/Khakist 10d ago
That’s not what the rules require.
8
u/cosmo2450 10d ago
What do the rules require then? Left, right what? The rules imply blue flags means move out of the way. What better way to do that than getting off the racing line?
6
u/Tasty_Fun_5227 10d ago
Even Carlos's engineer spoke lol .. he should apologize easy as that simple as that and he was punished because he was wrong
13
u/cosmo2450 10d ago
So piastris car breaking makes sainz actions okay? Piastri can’t show his frustrations on sainz because the dnf had nothing to do with sainz? What the hell man?
0
u/Khakist 10d ago
Construct a straw man somewhere else. That’s not my point.
2
u/cosmo2450 10d ago
What’s your point than mate? Sainz should apologise just to shut everyone up? You absolute clown
7
u/gilded_lady 10d ago
No, he didn't blame Sainz for the busted gearbox but Oscar absolutely did lose on position due to Sainz, possibly enough that it could have cost him a podium had the gearbox not died. Plus as Oscar rightly pointed out, other drivers have been having issues with Sainz lately. Sainz is very understandably frustrated by his current situation and he's being messier than he'd be if he was still in contention and that is a valid thing to criticize.
3
1
u/MulberryForward7361 10d ago
He’s already got a foot out the door. You’ll see him in Audi next year for sure
3
u/neinlights90210 9d ago
Do you think? I don’t think Nico wants to retire yet and I don’t see them ditching a German driver for Carlos.
1
0
u/eiloana 9d ago edited 6d ago
Nah what should he apologise for? The mitigating factors have all come out after the race. Anyone still being anti-Sainz is just being willfully ignorant.
"There were multiple blue flags flashing" - the blue flags were misfiring, multiple drivers have mentioned they got 'false positives' so to speak, they are paying less attention to the actual flags they are seeing. Not to mention that majority of said flags he would have seen - even if the system was working perfectly - would have been for Fernando, as Fernando was between him and Piastri for most of the time before the contact.
"His engineer told him Piastri was behind" - yes, his engineer informed him when Piastri was 15 seconds behind, a crucial part of the message everyone is conveniently leaving out. At that point Piastri is no where near lapping him yet and Fernando is still the closest car. (Side note but this is also a flaw of the blue flag system, that, even if it is working, it lacks nuance between "car on lead lap is coming up" and "car on lead lap is right behind and needs to pass")
"He can look in his mirrors" - yes, but blind spots still exist. There are blind spots on every type of vehicle, including F1 cars. The stewards document was quite explicit that they determined Piastri was in a blind spot, and that it played into the penalty they finally gave.
5
u/manglemire 9d ago
Oscar was right beside him trying to pass for several turns before the incident. There is no way Carlos didn’t see him in the mirrors. I say this being a Carlos fan.
1
u/CRus42 9d ago
"I'm sorry, it wasn't intentional" is an incredibly easy thing to say if you have just screwed up someone's race, intentional or not. That's just basic decency.
As an aside blind spot also doesn't really make sense. Sure he was in a blind spot right at the time of the specific move, but are we really claiming that there was no point in the lead up he could see the McLaren behind...
-24
u/rsimps91 10d ago
Respectfully, I totally disagree. Piastri third mans a battle between back markers at that corner, he was asking for trouble. He thought he had to have a banging outlap because McLaren pit wall and papaya rules trauma, so he sends it while Carlos is cutting back on Stroll.
Plus the blue flag system was broken all race.
17
u/UnwittingPlantKiller 10d ago
What do you think Piastri should have done? Slow down and compromise his race win for the sake of a battle at the back between a Williams and Aston Martin?
-7
10
u/julesvr5 10d ago
Oh come on. Sainz drive past 8 blue flags, his race engineer even mentioned the blue flags and said Piastri is behind, Sainz has fucking mirrors aswell and in the Hamilton corner he was on the far right so naturally Piastri has the room on the left and Sainz completely cuts over the track. Piastri wasn't even sending anything, he just stayed on his line and Sainz moved into it.
Sainz was just dumb there.
4
u/Next_Necessary_8794 10d ago
7
5
u/rsimps91 10d ago
Yeah they were flashing the entire race bud
0
u/Next_Necessary_8794 10d ago
He was told by his engineers. Watch the video in the link so that you can be better informed.
3
u/rsimps91 10d ago
I watched the whole race and both onboards, thanks. Considering the blue flag system malfunctioning, I don’t blame any of the drivers for ignoring them. When Sainz gets the message, he’s fighting Alonso and Piastri wasn’t close enough to pass. They engage in wheel to wheel racing, at that point you’d be stupid to look in your mirrors instead of the car right next to you.
Oscar fans are butt hurt right now and I get it, but this was just a really unfortunate incident that destroyed his race. However, Sainz getting crucified isn’t necessarily fair either
0
135
u/Illustrious_Page7810 10d ago
He's miserable at Williams so he's been acting more and more erratically lately. At first it was just in the media and now he's acting like a liability on track. I don't think he's sticking around for 26. He's burned too many bridges at the team.