Carlos Sainz was the only driver to miss the checkered flag during Sunday's US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas after he suffered a fatal race injury following a collision with Kimi Antonelli's bike. Mercedes.
In a tight and twisty start to the final sector, the Spaniard ventured to the inside of Turn 15 but caught the Silver Arrow's left-rear tire and sent it spinning.
Sainz instantly went out of action due to damage to the right front wheel and parked his car. Williams between the circuit's final two corners, while Antonelli continued to finish outside the top ten.
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After reviewing the incident, the stewards ruled that Sainz was responsible for the collision: “Car 55 attempted to overtake car 12 from the inside at Turn 15 and there was a collision between the two cars at the apex.
“The driver of Car 55 stated that he expected the driver of Car 12 to give him space at the apex, but Car 12 turned early and Car 55 locked its brakes when it became clear that a collision was imminent.
“At no time before the apex was the front axle of car 55 adjacent to or in front of the mirror of car 12. Therefore, under the Rules of Driving, car 55 was not entitled to leave space at the apex.”
As a result, having failed to serve his penalty during the race, Sainz (Car 12) was penalized five places on the grid instead at this weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix, the site of his latest Formula 1 triumph, which he captured in 2024.
Carlos Sainz is eliminated from the game after contact with Kimi Antonelli! 💥
This is what happened… 👇#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/OIIUH031CO
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 19, 2025
It was hardly a disastrous weekend for the Spaniard, given that he finished third in Saturday's sprint and once again showed his base pace. But against Mercedes so early in the race for seventh place, leaving the team represents another missed opportunity that has dominated much of its 2025 campaign.
Sainz spoke about his collision williamsf1.com: “It’s a pity to end the race like this, because the car had great speed today. I had done a similar trick a few laps ago at Bierman, so I tried that inside line with Antonelli at Turn 15.
“He opened the line and then closed the door more abruptly than I expected. I tried to react by slamming on the brakes to avoid contact, but it was too late and we made contact.
“I was behind so I accept my share of the blame and ultimately it’s a shame because it cost us both the race. We were fast, so it would have hurt not to turn that into extra points.”
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