Sainz gets grid drop for impeding Hamilton in Suzuka qualifying

Williams Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz has been handed a three-place grid penalty for blocking Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix.

Pushing to improve to a time good enough for Q3, Hamilton found Sainz's Williams in his way during the closing stages of Q2 at Turn 1.

Sainz appeared prepared for a penalty after qualifying, saying: "I got no warning from the team on this one.

"I think as a team we got messed up with...I overtook so many cars on my push lap and they were all on in-laps, and I overtook Lewis on my push lap, probably the team believed he was on an in-lap too and then suddenly he opens the lap behind me and I went into Turn 1 cooling down the car and he was pushing, and we missed it.

"[Hamilton] still made it to Q3 and I got no warning, which sometimes this helps in the penalty application, but yeah... we'll see what happens."

That didn't help Sainz as the Japanese GP stewards handed him the standard penalty for impeding: a grid drop of three places.

"Car #55 [Sainz] was on an in-lap after having completed a push lap when car #44 [Hamilton] was starting its push lap, and car #44 had to move off track to avoid car #55 in Turn 1," the stewards' statement read.

"The driver of car #55 stated that he did not have any warning from the team, of the approach of car #44 on a push lap. He stated that he was caught completely by surprise and because of the approach speed of car #44, and the angle of his car, he could not see car #44 in his mirrors.

"However notwithstanding the above, the team had ample warning that car #44 was on an out lap whilst car #55 was on its push lap.

"Also, more than eight seconds elapsed from when it was obvious car #44 was not going into the pits, and hence was going to start a push lap, and when car #55 could have taken appropriate action if the driver had been warned by the team."

That penalty drops Sainz from the 12th position he qualified into 15th on the grid behind Yuki Tsunoda's Red Bull.

Team-mate Alex Albon will start from ninth, one place behind Hamilton.