Sainz: Penalty removed from Dutch GP after review of racing incident

Carlos Sainz Free of Penalty in the Dutch Grand Prix

The stewards of the Dutch Grand Prix have annulled the penalty imposed on Carlos Sainz, following a review requested by the Williams team. The decision came after Williams presented new images of the incident with Racing Bull’s Liam Lawson, which, in the stewards’ opinion, showed that the collision was a “racing incident” and not Sainz’s fault. This resolution marks an unusual occasion in Formula 1, where a team gets a decision reviewed. Although the 10-second penalty applied to Sainz during the race could not be revoked, the two penalty points on his super license were indeed removed.

Williams requested a review during the Italian Grand Prix, less than a week after the incident in Zandvoort.

On Friday, a hearing was held where Williams presented evidence considered new, relevant, and significant. The team provided images from a 360-degree camera of Sainz’s car, as well as a rear camera of Lawson’s car and Sainz’s testimony. The stewards accepted the two new shots, which were not available at the time of the original decision, as relevant and significant evidence. However, they maintained that the pilot’s testimony was not a valid element for the review, given that decisions are often made during races before hearing from the pilots. Williams argued that the new images showed that Lawson’s car lost traction and slid just before the collision, which prevented Sainz from avoiding contact.

“The stewards are satisfied that the collision was caused by a momentary loss of control of car 30. However, in the stewards’ assessment, no driver was wholly or predominantly to blame for the collision.”

Stewards’ statement

The stewards explained that the new evidence regarding Lawson’s slide was sufficient to conclude that it was a racing incident. Although it was not possible to overturn the time penalty, the removal of the points from Sainz’s license was confirmed. This means he now has two points in the last 12 months. The Williams team issued a statement on Saturday celebrating the stewards’ decision. “We are grateful to the stewards for reviewing Carlos’ penalty at Zandvoort and we are pleased that they have decided it was not his fault and that it was a racing incident,” said a team spokesperson. “While it’s frustrating that our race was compromised by the original decision, mistakes are part of motorsport and we will continue to work constructively with the FIA to improve the arbitration processes and review the race rules for the future.”