Leclerc and Sainz escape penalty for driving too slowly
This morning, the FIA had asked the drivers to respect a minimum time on all their laps in qualifying. Both Ferrari drivers were caught being too slow in Q1, but they will not be penalized.
The decision announced this morning by the race management [La FIA prend des mesures pour limiter le trafic à Monza] to require drivers to respect a minimum time during qualifying sessions came close to causing damage. After several incidents during the F2 and F3 qualifying sessions on Friday, the FIA asked drivers to achieve a maximum time of 1:41.000 during the qualifying session. The goal is to prevent delays caused by slow drivers on the track, which is dangerous and detrimental to the sport.
Two drivers got caught by the stewards: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. The two darlings of the Italian crowd were too slow during their fourth lap in Q1, and therefore were at risk of a penalty. However, the race director deemed that both drivers had made the conscious decision to slow down in order to not hinder competitors who were coming up behind them.
Thanks to their caution, four cars were able to pass without being hindered. The decision-makers have decided that the two drivers did not drive in an “unnecessarily slow” manner and have decided not to take any action against them. It would have been a great shame for Carlos Sainz and the thousands of tifosi present in the stands if the Spaniard had lost his pole position, obtained by a hair’s breadth ahead of Max Verstappen.
