Carlos Sainz holds post-race inspection in untelevised Las Vegas GP footage
Carlos Sainz joined Williams from Ferrari at the start of 2025
Untelevised footage from the Las Vegas Grand Prix has revealed the moment Carlos Sainz carried out a post-race inspection on a number of cars – including the Red Bull of Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari and Lando Norris’s McLaren – in parc ferme.
Sainz has enjoyed an impressive second half of the F1 2025 season with Williams, claiming the team’s first podium finish since 2021 with third place at September’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz spotted holding Las Vegas GP parc ferme inspection
The Spaniard equalled that result a few weeks later in the United States Grand Prix sprint race, capitalising on the first-lap collision between McLaren pair Norris and Oscar Piastri to finish inside the top three.
Sainz produced another fine performance in Vegas last weekend, taking advantage of a rain-affected qualifying session to line up third on the grid behind Norris and Max Verstappen.
He was unable to hold back faster cars on race day, initially finishing seventh on the road before being promoted to fifth after Norris and Piastri were disqualified for excessive skid-block wear.
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Sainz’s result has strengthened Williams’ grip on fifth place in the constructors’ standings, with the team holding a 31-point advantage over Racing Bulls ahead of the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
A P5 result in the teams’ championship would represent Williams’ highest finish since 2017.
An untelevised clip released by Formula 1’s official social media channels has revealed how Sainz turned inspector at the end of the race in Las Vegas, checking the cars of Hamilton, Verstappen and Norris – among others – in parc ferme.
The clip shows footage from the onboard cameras of each car as Sainz makes his way around parc ferme, paying close attention to the front end.
Hamilton, who eventually finished a distant eighth, is still in the process of climbing out of the cockpit of his Ferrari SF-25 when Sainz arrives on the scene.
A group of Red Bull mechanics are also seen moving out of the way as Sainz arrives to inspect Verstappen’s car, parked against the P1 board in parc ferme.
T-cam footage from Norris’s car shows Sainz making his way over to the vacated McLaren, parked in front of the P2 board.
Footage from a Racing Bulls machine also shows Sainz taking a close look at Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, which ultimately finished fourth in Nevada.
More on Carlos Sainz and Williams from PlanetF1.com
It is common for drivers and team representatives to study the cars of rival teams, with Aston Martin’s Adrian Newey inspecting the dominant McLaren MCL39 on the grid at Monaco and Silverstone earlier this season.
Sainz’s inspection came shortly before it emerged that Norris and Piastri were both under investigation, with the pair later disqualified from the official results.
In a statement issued to PlanetF1.com by McLaren, team principal Andrea Stella pointed to “accidental damage” sustained by both cars, resulting in “an increase of movement of the floor”, as a potential factor behind the team’s double disqualification.
Practice running was also heavily interrupted in Las Vegas due to concerns over loose drain covers, limiting the amount of race simulations before the grand prix.
Stella said: “During the race, both cars experienced unexpected, high levels of porpoising not seen in the practice sessions, which led to excessive contact with the ground.
“We are investigating the reasons for this behaviour of the car, including the effect of accidental damage sustained by both cars, which we found after the race, and that led to an increase of movement of the floor.
“As the FIA noted, the breach was unintentional, there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations, and mitigating circumstances also existed.
“We apologise to Lando and Oscar for the loss of points today, at a critical time in their Championship campaigns after two strong performances from them all weekend. As a team, we also apologise to our partners and fans, whose support means so much.
“While this outcome is extremely disappointing, we remain fully focused on the last two races of the season.”
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