Sainz hit with Baku grid penalty for opening lap blunder

Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz was deemed responsible for an incident on the opening lap of the Canadian GP which eliminated both the Spaniard and Williams' Felipe Massa.

As the mid-field jockeyed for position on the run down to Turn 3, Sainz made contact with Romain Grosjean losing control and barrelling down backwards into the side of Felipe Massa. The crash putting both drivers out on the spot, while Grosjean's Haas suffered a damaged front wing.

"I am very unhappy with Carlos’ manoeuvre at the start," said Grosjean, who recovered to finish in tenth place. "What he did to me going into Turn 3, it was very, very dangerous."

The stewards announced an investigation into the incident after the race and heard from both Sainz and Grosjean. They determined that while the collision was obviously not deliberately provoked by Sainz, his assumption that no car was alongside him - and that therefore he could move to the right - was both "careless and potentially dangerous".

The stewards handed Sainz a three-place grid drop, which he will serve at the next race in Azerbaijan. He later apologized to both Grosjean and Massa for his responsibility in the incident.

"I have to say I never saw the car there. It’s simply a dead angle in my mirrors so I never knew he was there," said the Toro Rosso driver.

"If I had realized I was there, of course I would’ve been more careful and left some space. Once we collided I was just a passenger, crashed into the wall and that was the end of my race unfortunately.

"I’d like to say sorry, especially to Felipe, who received a touch from me," he added. "I just couldn’t do anything to avoid it."

 
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