Sainz reprimanded by the stewards in Brazil
The Spanish driver was the victim of a track exit this Sunday in Brazil. While he had removed his steering wheel, he finally put it back on at the request of his team and drove for a few more meters, creating a potentially dangerous situation and forcing the marshals to intervene.
A weekend to forget for Carlos Sainz. Brilliant winner last week in Mexico, the former McLaren driver had a much less spectacular Brazilian round, concluded by two accidents. The first occurred during the qualifying session, moved to Sunday morning due to a weather conditions deemed too precarious on Saturday. During Q2, the Spaniard lost control of his Ferrari after the first turn and ended up placing the rear of the car against the tire walls. Significant damage was identified, forcing him to start from the pit lane for the race. Unfortunately, his Grand Prix ended in the same way.
A new race accident
After a difficult start to the race, where he had to fight at the back of the pack, the driver of the Italian brand seemed to be able to regain points in the second part of the race. However, on the 39th lap, the Spaniard braked on the white line, which locked his rear wheels, sending him straight into the wall and causing the entry of the safety car. While the track marshals rushed towards the SF-24 with a recovery vehicle and had previously removed his steering wheel, Carlos Sainz eventually reinserted it and attempted to restart before his car finally came to a stop a few meters further. A maneuver that created a potentially dangerous situation according to the FIA, which finally reprimanded him.
Sainz avoids a fine despite a potentially dangerous situation.
The governing body also wanted to clarify the situation regarding the former Toro Rosso driver. The driver crashed all by himself. The stewards were quickly on the scene to recover the car. The driver removed the steering wheel, indicating to the stewards that he was abandoning the car. The team then informed Sainz that they believed the car could continue. Sainz put back the steering wheel while the stewards had started to place the recovery strap in the car’s safety roll hoop. Sainz acknowledged that he was not aware that the stewards had started the recovery process. The stewards, recognizing that the driver was going to try to restart, halted their recovery attempt just as the driver was driving off.
The commissioners and Carlos Sainz were therefore confronted with a muddle as they thought the Spanish driver was going to retire before his team told him to continue. For his part, Charles Leclerc’s teammate did not know that they had started the recovery procedure for his single-seater. A confusing situation that still saved him from a fine. Nevertheless, this does not please the main person concerned, who explained at the end of the race wanting to forget this weekend and already focus on the next deadlines. Definitely a Sunday to forget. Sorry for the team and for the extra work. I’ve struggled with this car in the rain this year, and today I simply didn’t have the right feeling either. We will turn the page and reset everything for Las Vegas, the Spaniard told the media including Planet F1.
Ferrari: losing team among the top teams
A blank result that does not favor them in their fight with McLaren for the constructors’ title. The Italian team loses 7 points this weekend to its British rival and even sees Red Bull coming back to within 12 units due to Max Verstappen’s victory. With three races remaining, everything is still possible in terms of the teams’ standings. However, Ferrari will have to avoid errors if they hope to win their first title since 2008.
