Carlos Sainz believes a Formula 1 driver who causes Red/Yellow flag in Qualifying should be penalized

Verstappen's crash brought out a Yellow flag with Russell judging that perfectly, lifting but still managing pole by over two tenths from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

Kimi Antonelli, on the other hand, thought it was double yellows and aborted his lap, ending up fourth fastest.

While Russell was hailed for his understanding of the Formula 1 rules and quick thinking, some slammed him for not aborting the lap, while others even believed the stewards messed up by not putting out double Yellows given the location of Verstappen's crash at a blind corner.

Sky Sports F1's Karun Chandhok, for example, was one of those believing the situation warranted a double Yellow flag.

Speaking to the media in Silverstone on Thursday, Williams driver Carlos Sainz admitted he wasn't happy with how the situation was handled in Austria's Qualifying while pointing out that the rules allowed some drivers to manipulate the rules to their own benefit, although he also insisted that Russell did nothing wrong.

"I have a very personal idea about this that hasn't been discussed among the GPDA [Grand Prix Drivers Association] yet, which I will potentially bring forward as an idea," Sainz said. "Then we can maybe discuss whether it should be the case or not.

"It's clear to me, at least, that the situation should have been a double Yellow or a Red flag. The way George handled it, I think, was perfect for what the rulebook allows you to do, and he deserved that pole position because he played the rules to perfection.

"But I don't think he should ever have been allowed to finish that lap, or to complete a lap, in that kind of dangerous situation.

"At the same time, if Max had been on pole after the first run and then produced that crash, and there wasn't a Red flag and nobody improved their lap, I think it would be unfair to George, Kimi, and everyone else because the guy on pole is effectively stopping us from improving our lap times.

"It's something I could have done last year in Baku when I was on pole and I was the first car out of the pits. I said to myself, 'If I crash now, I'm on pole.'

"So we all have these thoughts, and we all know how the rulebook works," the Spaniard maintained.

As for the solution he believes would be right, Sainz explained: "For that reason, I think anyone who generates a Yellow flag or a Red flag in qualifying should receive a three-place grid penalty. Then you are penalized and disincentivized from going flat out into a situation like that.

"That wasn't the case with Max because Max was P3 at the time, so he had no incentive. He obviously crashed because of a rear-wing failure or something like that.

"But I think we should find a solution," he insisted. "My idea is simply that if you generate a Yellow flag or a Red flag, you should receive some kind of penalty because if you push flat out, push too far, and stop others from improving, you're gaining a position by preventing everyone else from improving.

Quizzed on whether the penalty should apply even if the error wasn't intentional, Sainz concluded: "Even if it's unintentional." (Reporting by Agnes Carlier)