The International Automobile Federation has reversed the sanction that Carlos Sainz incurred during the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix due to his contact with Liam Lawson at the first turn in Zandvoort.
Sainz was handed a 10-second penalty in addition to two penalty points after navigating around the outside of the initial corner, with his front right tyre making contact with Lawson’s rear left at the exit.
Williams was angered that race officials deemed Sainz culpable given Lawson deviated to the left, leading it to submit a right of review to re-examine the incident, which transpired on Friday.
Although Sainz’s penalty points have been nullified, the judgment has not altered the Dutch GP standings as the Williams entrant concluded the race in 13th, trailing Racing Bulls’ Lawson in 12th by 17 seconds.
“The Stewards concur with Williams’ description of the contact as a racing incident,” the FIA report stated.
“The Stewards are convinced that the contact stemmed from a momentary lapse in control by Car 30 [Lawson]. Nevertheless, in the Stewards’ view, no driver bore complete or predominant responsibility for the contact.
Carlos Sainz, Williams
Photo by: Joe Portlock / LAT Images via Getty Images
“Car 55 [Sainz] played a role in the incident by choosing to drive in close proximity to, and on the outside of, Car 30, despite lacking the right to space there and facing a genuine risk that, had the contact not occurred where it did, Car 55 would have run off the track at the exit and/or a collision would have transpired at the exit for which the Driver of Car 55 would likely be primarily, if not entirely, at fault.
“The time penalty mandated by the Decision was observed by Car 55 during the race. The Stewards lack the authority to rectify that penalty already served by altering the Classifications, but they acknowledge that the interval between Car 55 and the car ahead in the Race’s Final Classification (coincidentally Car 30) was 17 seconds.
“With the Decision having been revoked, it logically follows that the 2 penalty points assigned to the Driver of Car 55 are to be withdrawn.”
This outcome might raise eyebrows considering stewards possessed the necessary footage at the time, but nonetheless, Williams voiced its satisfaction with the ultimate resolution.
A team statement conveyed: “We appreciate the stewards revisiting Carlos’ Zandvoort penalty and are pleased with their subsequent determination that he was not to blame and that it constituted a racing incident.
“While it’s disappointing that our race was adversely affected by the initial ruling, errors are inherent in motor racing, and we will persist in collaborating constructively with the FIA to refine stewarding procedures and re-evaluate racing regulations for the future.”
