Sainz handed grid penalty for Spanish GP after Qualifying infringement

Carlos Sainz has been handed a grid penalty for the Spanish Grand Prix after a Qualifying infringement.

The Williams driver was found to have impeded Valtteri Bottas' Cadillac during Saturday's Qualifying session through Turn 7 in the final minutes of Q1.

Sainz initially qualified P17 for Sunday's 57-lap race, the first to be held at the Madring, while Bottas was left in P20 as neither progressed through to the second part of Qualifying.

The stewards heard from both Sainz and Bottas post-session, as well as looking at on-board videos and data before making their decision.

They noted that: "The team failed to inform the driver of Car 55 about Car 77 closing in on a flying lap and the driver did not take any action to make way for the incoming car.

It added: "The Stewards determine that Car 55 unnecessarily impeded Car 77", and handed Sainz a penalty for his home race.

"Not a very clean session, two or three issues that cost us probably there at the end, five-milliseconds to get through to Q2," said Sainz before the post-Qualifying penalty.

"A combination of just lacking a bit of performance on the straights. After looking at that lap, a couple of tenths.

"Then going very early for the last run and also impeding Valtteri, I just heard we impeded him without any notice from the pit wall.

"Not our cleanest session. Still did a pretty good lap but unfortunately not enough to make it through to Q2."