Fernando Alonso says his Mexican Grand Prix was compromised as soon as Carlos Sainz forced him onto the grass with a "strange move" on the opening lap.
Alonso was fuming on the radio after the incident with his fellow Spaniard, who he enjoyed a duel with in the closing laps of the U.S. Grand Prix this weekend. After that fight Sainz admitted it had been special battling his boyhood hero.
The pair nearly came to blows in the opening stages in Mexico, with Sainz moving across in front of the unsighted Alonso, who did well not to lose control of the No. 14 car after jumping across the grass on the exit of Turn 3. Alonso is certain the incident ruined his opening stint at least.
"We could have passed Sainz during the first lap, but he says he didn't see me when he pushed me onto the grass," he said. "I nearly spun in the middle of the field, it was a strange move from his side. That compromised our race, at least the first part of it. We stopped earlier because we spent 40 laps behind Carlos without being able to overtake.
"Both our cars were stuck behind, so we tried to split the strategies and this time it was my turn to try a two-stops strategy. In the end we ended up in the same positions, Jenson and I. but if the first lap had gone down normally maybe we could have fought for points."
Sainz, who finished 16th, was handed a five-second penalty for the incident, something he feels was harsh given it occurred in opening corners when cars are going wheel-to-wheel.
"Probably on the harsh side, because at the start you cannot look 360-degrees," he said post-race. "When I saw him I saw him late, but it's not like he was side-by-side with me. The overlap was pretty small, and he took it flat out - good for him, it was brave. I've seen people not get a penalty for much worse.
"If I put Fernando in a dangerous situation I'm sorry for that, but it's racing, it's lap one. I'm not going to give up my position for free, especially when I'm nearly one full car [length] ahead. You never expect to have one guy there, close to a kerb on traction with the soft tyre, when you have more grip on the super-soft."