George Russell supports Carlos Sainz after €20,000 fine: "A pretty expensive poo!"

GPDA director George Russell has come out in support of Carlos Sainz after the Williams Formula 1 driver was slapped with a €20,000 fine over the Japanese GP weekend.

Four-time grand prix winner Sainz was penalised by the FIA after he failed to appear on time for the start of the national anthem at Suzuka on Sunday.

To justify the delay, the Spaniard had argued that he was suffering from a “stomach issue” and needed to receive medication, something that was verified by a doctor.

While the stewards took the mitigating circumstances into account, they still issued him a fine of  €20,000, half of which remains suspended for 12 months subject to further violations. FIA rules allow a maximum penalty of €60,000 for such infractions.

Sainz was unimpressed by the stewards taking a hard stance on him given the situation, hitting out at both the sanction and the size of the fine ahead of the Bahrain GP on Thursday.

George Russell sticks up for Carlos Sainz after FIA fine

Russell joked it was a "pretty expensive poo".

He added: “To be five seconds late and have to pay €10,000 is for me out of the question that we’re having to pay these fines.

“I don’t know if I’m going to get another fine for saying this, but s*** happens. It’s the way it goes sometimes. It is €10,000.”

Now, Mercedes driver Russell has backed Sainz in public for taking a “pretty expensive poo”, saying it is important for the stewards to understand just how busy drivers get in the build-up to the race.

“I've got to be honest; I totally appreciate that we have a duty to be there for the national anthem but it's not quite as straightforward as people may think for us to be there on time,” he said.

“We're often running to the toilet and there's sometimes just no toilets available between the time you jump out the car and go into the anthem and then you get stopped by some people on the grid or people asking for a quick interview.

“So it's not like we've got one sole job and that's only it. We're trying to take our moment for the grand prix and being there on that minute is sometimes not straightforward.

“I appreciate it from F1's perspective because it's a very important moment of the race, but also from a driver's perspective there are hard, genuine logistical issues that sometimes you're literally waiting to get into a bathroom cubicle.”

There has been unease between drivers and the FIA over the last 12 months, especially since the governing body started cracking down on swearing in public.

Russell added that it’s important for all stakeholders to “work together” and reach a mutual agreement over driver fines in F1.

“Look, we've been talking about this on and off for six months now. In all honesty, I don't even want to give it any more airtime.

“From my own personal perspective, because we've sort of said everything we've had to say over these months, unfortunately, it has had little or no impact. All of the drivers have 100% trust and faith in [CEO] Stefano [Domenicali] and F1.

“We know that they work together with the teams and it's in all of our interests to make something come of all of this and just see stability and collaboration.

“Moving forward, we just want collaboration. It just doesn't make any sense to be fighting on these topics. Yeah, that's what I'm doing.”