FIA Sets Williams Right of Review Hearing Date After Dutch GP Penalty

The outfits representing Williams and Racing Bulls in Formula 1 have been formally requested to attend a virtual meeting with the FIA stewards, focusing on the circumstances surrounding the penalty assessed to Carlos Sainz during the Dutch Grand Prix.

Sainz’s on-track encounter with Racing Bulls competitor Liam Lawson at the initial corner of the Zandvoort race resulted in a 10-second penalty being levied against the Williams driver.

Sainz voiced his strong disagreement with the decision to hold him accountable for the incident. Subsequently, Williams officially submitted a request for a review to the FIA, aiming for a reassessment of the situation, stating that it was “important for us to understand how to go racing in future, and we are hopeful of a positive outcome”.

The stewards have now designated Friday, September 12, as the date for the aforementioned hearing, which will see the participation of designated representatives from both the Williams and Racing Bulls teams.

Initially, the stewards will evaluate the admissibility of Williams’s request for review. Should it be deemed admissible, a subsequent hearing will be convened to specifically address the incident itself.

For a request for review to be considered admissible, the presenting party is required to provide substantiating evidence that fulfills three specific criteria: the evidence must be deemed significant, relevant, and not have been reasonably accessible to the stewards at the time the original determination was made.

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team

Photo by: Joe Portlock / LAT Images via Getty Images

“The appointed team representative is hereby requested to be present before the Stewards on Friday, September 12th, 2025, commencing at 15:30 CEST, concerning the aforementioned matter,” as detailed in the FIA summons.

“The hearing proceedings will be conducted remotely via video conference. Further logistical details will be furnished through subsequent communication.

“It is important to note that this Hearing is structured into two distinct segments. The initial segment will be dedicated to receiving evidence and arguments from the party seeking the Review, specifically addressing whether there exists a ‘significant and relevant new element which was unavailable to the party seeking the Review at the time of the Decision concerned’.

“In the event that the Stewards determine, in accordance with Article 14.3 of the FIA International Sporting Code, that such an element is indeed present, a subsequent portion of the Hearing will be scheduled and announced, most likely immediately following the conclusion of the first segment. Any other ‘concerned party’ may petition the Stewards for permission to be heard.”

Considering the stewards had access to the necessary visual recordings when they initially rendered their judgment, the likelihood of Williams’s appeal being upheld appears to be minimal.

However, the Sainz-Lawson incident did bring renewed attention to the topic of F1’s racing conduct guidelines, which continue to be a source of disagreement among drivers and were addressed during Friday’s drivers’ briefing at the recent Italian Grand Prix.

According to the current guidelines, Lawson was under no obligation to provide Sainz with additional space on the track’s exterior because he maintained the lead position at the apex of the corner. This allowed Lawson to progressively increase his steering angle, effectively forcing the Spanish driver off the track.