The first podium of Carlos Sainz was completed, without champagne and without hymns, more than two and a half hours after seeing the checkered flag in Interlagos. The statement of the FIA, with the official classification of the GP of Brazil, spread the euphoria for the 'hospitality' of McLaren, where the Spanish finally unleashed his ball of nerves. "We had to wait a lot, more than I would like. In this year of McLaren's full comeback, today was also a great comeback of mine," said Sainz, who had last game on the grid.

Since the 2014 Hungarian GP, ​​with Fernando Alonso, no Spaniards were on the podium. "It is number 100 for my country and the first for me. What anguish. I have become very nervous," Sainz admitted, before launching a confession. "My parents have asked me to change the ticket to London and to travel directly to Madrid. They will kill me when I tell them that I am not going to see them, but it is time to continue pressing in the factory," he concluded. A happy outcome for such an endless wait that it could even be divided into fascicles.

At 19:43 Spanish time, Sainz crossed in fourth place the goal of the Jose Carlos Pace Raceway, just in the wake of Lewis Hamilton. However, the hexacampeón had caused an accident two laps from the end that had knocked out Alexander Albon. The commissioners ordered an investigation, so the Mercedes leader could celebrate from the third step of the podium.

Still with the foam of the bubbles on the monkey, Hamilton attended the press conference with a gesture of contrition. "I accept the punishment they can impose. It is true that I could have waited," said the Briton about his touch with the young Red Bull driver. At 20:25, the provisional classification of the FIA ​​still gave him as third place, just ahead of Sainz. At 20:49, the commissioners' statement - Tim Mayer, Jose Abed, Emanuele Pirro and Max Wilson - made the five-second sanction official Hamilton. Despite appearances, they still couldn't celebrate at McLaren.

A parallel investigation, for the alleged use of DRS under yellow flags, further entangled the matter. From Andreas Seidl, supreme boss, to the last mechanic, nobody was right to sit in the McLaren pavilion. The last podium for the Woking people dated to the 2014 Australian GP, ​​with Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button, second and third.

"He does not gain an advantage and in principle they should not penalize him. There are precedents on this subject and in no case were they punished," said Carlos Oñoro, representative of Sainz, in the Movistar F1 microphones. One of the few that maintained the temper in that climate of giggles and whispers. Leading the investigation, with five other cars under the magnifying glass, was Michael Masi, the race director. Another arduous task for this Italian, who still does not forget Charlie Whiting. At least this time, his verdict made Spanish car racing happy.

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