Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson are at odds over their F1 Dutch GP clash, as Alexander Albon reckons it was the Kiwi’s fault after his own super run to Top 5 finish.
For once, it was looking good for Williams’ Sainz in F1 Dutch GP at Zandvoort, even though Albon had a storming start to be on his tail after Lap 1. The Spanaird was tucked behind Visa Cash App RB’s Lawson in the first part. He tried to get through multiple times, but to no avail.
He finally made the move around the outside at Turn 1 and they made contact eventually after the safety car re-start. Both suffered damage and puncture and were relegated to the back of the field. Sainz was handed a 10s time penalty as the stewards didn’t see nose ahead at the apex.
It gave Lawson the right to the corner and so Sainz was deemed fully at fault. The Spaniard was irked by the decision and wanted to see the stewards, who were busy with another incident. It is not clear if they did meet after the media briefings. Additionally, the Spaniard was not too pleased with Lawson as well.
He felt the Kiwi is not easy to handle and that there is contact always when fighting him, referring to last couple of seasons and his run-ins with the likes of Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez. Lawson, meanwhile, did not wish to say much, as he reckoned the penalty did it for him.
Albon, who had a front seat running behind, felt it was Lawson’s fault through and through. He reflected on his own race where he ended up gaining five places to 10th on Lap 1. It eventually helped him with strategy and he found himself fifth by the end of after two separate incidents to help him.
What happened –
Sainz: “First of all, the incident, I think, is quite clear. I don’t know how many examples we’ve seen in Turn 1 in Zandvoort of two cars racing side by side without contact. It’s a corner that allows two cars to race each other without really having to have any unnecessary contact. But with Liam, it always seems to be very difficult to make that happen. He always seems to prefer to have a bit of contact and risk a DNF or a puncture like we did, than to actually accept having two cars side-by-side, which hopefully it will come with more experience to him, because he knows he’s putting too many points on the line just for an unnecessary manoeuvre, like he did. I wasn’t even really trying to race Liam that hard. I just had a gap around the outside, and so I’m going to start getting him a bit out of position for Turn 2, Turn 3. I wasn’t trying to pass him around the outside.
“I was just trying to have a side-by-side with him to then get him a bit of line for Turn 2, Turn 3, and then suddenly I have a contact, which caught me completely off-guard and by surprise. You need to pick your battles. And probably Liam in his first years now, if he’s deciding to have a bit this approach of crash or no overtake, it’s something I’ll keep in keep in mind. But the story of my season so far again, a race where I could have finished P5 where Alex is, another 10 points that for something that I cannot understand and is out of our hands.
“I’ve raced Lewis, I’ve raced Checo, I’ve raced Oscar, I’ve raced Charles, I’ve raced so many drivers doing the move I did today, so many other cars in the last four years – at the start, racing around inside, outside, high banking, low banking, without really having contact. If the guy in the inside doesn’t want to have contact, if the guy in the inside decides to open the wheel and create a contact or risk a contact, then it’s on their behalf, but for the guy on the outside to receive a penalty for it is what concerns me the most.”
Lawson: “I’m sure he’s not. Obviously I’m not stoked either, it ruined my day. The rules are written as they are, and we know how they’re written. And I’ve been on the receiving end this year as well, where I was going for an overtake and thought that I should be given space, and I wasn’t, and I got a penalty. So it’s something that we learn from. We all know this. It’s lap one on a restart, it’s super slippery, cold tyres. It’s fine to go for the move, but it’s just risky. And we made concept, which is not ideal, but that’s why he got a penalty.
“We were I guess behind George before everything happened. And the car has been very, very strong. So there’s no reason why we wouldn’t have come home with very strong points today. We were just consistent in the first stint, sort of managing. A restart is always aggressive and tough. And obviously it’s time for opportunities. But something that risky when we’re both in the points like that, it just sucks.”
Penalty –
Sainz: “On top of that, to then get a 10-second penalty for it, I think it’s a complete joke. Honestly, I need to go now to the stewards just to get an explanation, to see what is their point of view of the incident. Because it’s unacceptable, I think it’s not the level of stewarding that F1 needs if they are really considering that to be a 10-second penalty. On my behalf, I think it’s a serious matter now that concerns me as a driver, as a GPDA director, and something that I will make sure I raise.
“It’s something that is very concerning. I’m talking as calmly and with eloquently and trying to pick my words in the best possible way, without trying to put here about a bad word for anyone. But what I’ve seen today and what I’ve suffered today is something that concerns me, for myself, but for the other drivers and for motorsport in general, if they really think this is how a penalty should be applied to the guy that is around the outside, I don’t know.”
Lawson: “I think he was overtaking me, and I also think he got a penalty. So he can make all the comments in the world he likes. I wish he’d just come and talk to me about it rather than telling everybody else. But if it was my fault, I would have got a penalty. I understand his frustration. We don’t want to be in these situations. And as I said, I’ve been on the receiving end as well. It’s just the way the rules are written. And we all know that.”
Albon: “I don’t know what you guys made of it, but to me it was quite clearly Liam’s fault. So I don’t know why Carlos got the penalty. I think I had the best view out of everyone. It looked to me like in the middle of the corner, Liam opened the wheel and just drove Carlos out to dry. I don’t know where Carlos could have gone. I think, especially a decision like that, if they’re unsure, should be left to the stewards after the race. But I think it was a wrong decision anyway. As he should be [Carlos being upset].”
Start, race –
Albon: “I overtook one on the start, I overtook two into Turn 1 around the outside. I overtook two around the outside in Turn 3. Honestly, I almost overtook Carlos as well but I didn’t want to risk overtaking Carlos. I stayed behind and made sure that I didn’t get greedy but we were looking very strong, honestly I want to look why we were strong in this type of track because it felt like a very good grip on the first lap compared to drivers around. Definitely, not. I think the race strategy wise, it was a very boring race and we were looking about if there was anything we could do in the race to do something. Honestly, I think, we made our own luck, part of it. I was P10 by Lap 1, that put us in contention immediately for a good result, bit of a strange race for Zandvoort. I don’t know, maybe we were all little bit excited after summer break.
“I had good pace, so it wasn’t like the safety didn’t help us, it was just we were always on the right side. Yeah, P5 it was, very happy. We dealt it very well actually, our strategy was not it ended up being. With the start we had, we wanted flexibility, that’s why we didn’t do a soft tyre on the first lap because we wanted the flexibility in case I did a good start to extend and to give a good chance if the rain was to come to react. I think we executed everything very well. I think we were the sixth best. We were the second best midfield team, I think the RBs were clearly strong, even in the race, Isack had some real race pace for sure. We weren’t competitive as much on the hard tyre, we were much better on the soft and we finished kind of where we should have. P5 is where we were on the track considering the conditions, we were the second best midfield team.”
Here’s Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson colliding: https://www.formula1.com/en/video/2025-dutch-grand-prix-sainz-and-lawson-lose-tyres-after-contact-in-battle-for-p7.1841995523812099159
Here’s start from Alexander Albon: https://www.formula1.com/en/video/2025-dutch-grand-prix-albon-gets-a-rocket-start-to-leap-up-five-places-on-lap-1.1841996340601809600
New Era (as per press release) –
Today, New Era and Atlassian Williams Racing announce a multi-year partnership that will unite two icons of sport and heritage from the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season. As Official Team Partner, New Era will design and produce a full range of apparel, headwear and accessories for the entire team, drivers, and fans worldwide. With a shared vision for pioneering performance and cultural influence, New Era brings over a century of sportswear innovation to Atlassian Williams Racing which is one of the most successful teams in F1 history and has put fans at the heart of its comeback mission to win multiple World Championships again.
In a first-of-its-kind agreement in the company’s 105-year history, from the start of next season New Era will dress Atlassian Williams Racing from head to sock at all 24 races across the globe as Official Teamwear and Headwear Partner. The range, in signature Williams colours, will embody speed, precision and style while meeting the demands required by drivers, engineers and pit crew alike. To complement the team kit, fans can expect a curated line of elevated styles, lifestyle collections and race specials which will launch throughout the season. This groundbreaking partnership means New Era, synonymous with sports culture and streetwear style, continues its expansion into motorsport with five other headwear partnerships on the grid. New Era’s first expansion into official teamwear apparel signifies its ongoing commitment to product excellence across design, creation and distribution.
Paul Gils, VP EMEA and India, New Era: “Atlassian Williams Racing is one of the most iconic names in motorsport, and we’re extremely proud to join them on their transformative journey of resurgence and redefinition. Together, we will create world-class products for a global fan base that speaks to tradition, innovation and a bold future – both on and off track.”
Luke Timmins, Merchandise and Licensing Director, Atlassian Williams Racing: “For almost 50 years, Atlassian Williams Racing has been known for its bold innovation and passion for racing. From our world-class drivers and engineers to our first-rate fans and partners we are building a team to win again, and take pride in doing things differently. This first-of-its-kind partnership with New Era will mean Atlassian Williams Racing shows up in style and help reach new audiences to join our journey back to the top.”
New Era will also be the official partner to all Atlassian Williams Racing teams including Sim Racing, the Williams Racing Driver Academy, and Williams Heritage. Atlassian Williams Racing would like to thank current Official Partner PUMA who have dressed the team since the start of 2024 and have been an important partner in our comeback journey. Together, Williams and PUMA will continue to fight for every point during the remainder of the 2025 season and bring fans exciting new collections in the races ahead.
Here’s Isack Hadjar on podium
Here’s how F1 Dutch GP panned out
