At the home Grand Prix, sparks flew between the two Spanish drivers, whose relationship has not been at its best for some time. At the Spanish GP, Fernando Alonso, ambassador of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and Carlos Sainz, ambassador of Madring, crossed a line they had not crossed before: they accused each other of a collision they had on the track.
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Already in the Drivers parade, the lap before the race where the drivers greet the crowd, the hug between them and the photo pose looked forced. The Asturian and the Madrilenian barely exchanged words.
They met early on the track, as Sainz started 20th and Alonso 18th. They crossed paths on lap 13 when the Aston Martin tried to overtake the Williams on the inside to snatch 17th position. The Madrilenian closed the gap by moving towards the wall and destroyed the side flap of the Aston Martin’s nose.
Alonso exploded indignantly over the radio: “He strangled me against the wall; at the start, he hit two guys and now he’s strangling me against the wall at the braking,” Fernando complained bitterly, having to change the nose (see 15). Race control handed Sainz a 5-second penalty for causing the collision. The Madrilenian changed the nose and after serving the penalty fell to last, 20th. He ended up retiring due to a failure.
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“There’s nothing to say. It’s the nature of that corner when you turn right. I think he complained over the radio, so he got me penalized, as always,” said Sainz.
Alonso replied in his explanation: “He threw me against the wall at 340 km/h, when there was plenty of space on the left side. It’s not the first time either. That’s how it is. Today he got the penalty, other times he doesn’t. He’s had a tough weekend. Yesterday the grid penalty, today at the start he took out the Cadillac, then me against the wall… Some weekends just go a bit wrong. But at 340 km/h I’d rather no one close me against the wall and be alive at the end of the race.”
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