After being fined for lateness to the national anthem at Suzuka, Carlos Sainz is risking another punishment after swearing in the FIA press conference in Bahrain.

When asked about that moment in Japan, with the Williams driver having been fined a hefty €30,000 with €10,000 suspended after arriving late for the national anthem, he responded by saying “s*** happens.”

Carlos Sainz runs risk of another FIA fine with ‘s*** happens’ quip

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

The FIA introduced a new, more stringent approach to policing misconduct among drivers ahead of the 2025 season, with a new table introduced for fines that can be used for bad language in official settings, or language that causes “moral injury” to the FIA, among other punishments.

The wording in the FIA ruling is broad so as to include multiple kinds of infringement, with the Williams driver falling foul of the rule that ensures drivers must be at the start/finish line prior in good time prior to the playing of the national anthem.

Sainz is the first to be punished with a heftier fine for being what he described as “five seconds late” for the start of the playing of the Japanese anthem on Sunday, with Appendix B of the penalty guidelines in the FIA’s International Sporting Code having initially listed a €60,000 fine for such an offence, though a stomach issue was cited as a mitigating factor.

More on the FIA and its new system for fines

👉 Explained: The real reasons behind the FIA’s new swearing guidelines

👉 For or against? The arguments behind FIA’s controversial new rules

The 30-year-old explained how much it means to him to usually be on time for such moments, while expressing disappointment at such a strong punishment for this infringement.

He doubled down, too, on his opinion that drivers should be told where money raised from their fines is spent.

“I think I’m the biggest supporter of punctuality and being, in a way, a gentleman, being punctual to things, and especially a national anthem with all the authorities there,” Sainz explained to media including PlanetF1.com in Bahrain.

“I was the first one to put my hand up and say, ‘I’m late. I’m sorry for that.’ At the same time, I was five seconds late, and to be five seconds late and have to pay 10,000 euros, or whatever the point is, is, for me, out of the question that we’re having to pay these fines.”

He then added, with a chuckle: “I don’t know if I’m going to get another fine for saying this, but s*** happens – you know, it’s the way it is. It’s the way it goes.

“It is €10k. I mean, you guys know what €10k is here, and for five seconds it’s disappointing.

“Just as I always said, I hope someone tells me where this €10k goes, and they say, ‘okay, at least they went for a nice cause’, and I will be looking forward to seeing where they go.”

Read next: Why Hadjar wants Tsunoda seat ‘even more’ after string of driver flops