Formula 1

Sainz avoids penalty, retains ninth place for Hungarian GP

Published

3 years ago

18/07/2020

HUNGARIAN GP QUALIFYING SAINZ AVOIDS GRID PENALTY

Carlos Sainz will start the Hungarian Grand Prix in ninth place after avoiding a grid penalty following an incident with Antonio Giovinazzi during qualifying.

We’ve had another successful qualifying session as both Lando and Carlos secured solid results, finishing in 8th and 9th place respectively.

The stewards have decided not to impose a penalty on Carlos Sainz for his incident with Antonio Giovinazzi during the qualifying session, which means he will start the Hungarian Grand Prix from his original position of ninth place.

During Q1, Carlos Sainz was accused of impeding Antonio Giovinazzi on the racing line, which led to the Alfa Romeo driver having to abandon his timed lap.

According to the stewards, Carlos Sainz was unable to see the first blue flag that was displayed at marshal post 14 and as a result, did not have enough time to react to the subsequent flag at the following post.

In a statement released by the stewards, they stated that Antonio Giovinazzi was on a timed lap and approaching turn 6 when he encountered Carlos Sainz on the racing line, who was on an in lap. As a result of this, Giovinazzi was forced to abandon his lap.

The stewards’ statement also mentioned that blue flags were shown at marshal posts 14 and 15, but there was no blue light panel displayed.

After reviewing the incident, the stewards acknowledged that Carlos Sainz was unable to see the first blue flag displayed and did not have sufficient time to respond to the second blue flag, given his position on the track.

The stewards also reminded the team that it is their responsibility to provide appropriate radio warnings when another driver is approaching from behind on a timed lap.

The stewards clarified that in case a driver does not receive a radio warning, it will not be considered as an excuse. However, they also noted that in the given circumstances, even if there was a radio warning, there would not have been any other opportunity for the driver to react.

Carlos Sainz will start the race from behind his teammate Lando Norris on the starting grid. He is planning to use the soft compound for his initial stint, unless rain conditions necessitate a switch to intermediate or wet tyres.