Sainz fined for crossing track after Singapore Q3 crash
Carlos Sainz has been given a €25,000 fine with half of it suspended for crossing a live Formula 1 track after his crash in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver slammed into the barriers at the final corner of the Marina Bay track with just over eight minutes of the session remaining.
Sainz, who was unhurt from the accident, climbed from his stricken car and, with the session red-flagged, walked across the track to reach the pitlane entrance.
Following an FIA stewards investigation, the Spaniard was given a €25,000 fine, €12,500 of which has been suspended for the rest of the season on the condition there is no similar incident.
Speaking about the incident, Sainz admitted it had been his mistake: “I had a bit of a strange exit in there. Had to let a lot of cars through opening my lap and my tyres were just a lot colder than I thought they would be. I misjudged the grip going on the bump on 17, and it completely snapped on me. Driver mistake.
“I underestimated the grip I would get launching the lap – I was already under pressure with another car coming, and I knew that launching the lap I was already going to be slower because of the… approaching the last corner so slow. So it meant that I tried to do something that there was not enough grip to do.”
Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
It was a similar incident to the Qatar Grand Prix last year when Lewis Hamilton was fined €50,000 – half of which was suspended for the rest of the year – and served with a reprimand.
Hamilton had tangled with George Russell into Turn 1 at the start of the Losail race, which had broken his right-rear wheel and ended his race.
While the race was placed under the safety car, Hamilton had crossed the live circuit from the outside of Turn 1 to the pitlane, just seconds before Russell emerged from the pits.
On that occasion, the FIA stewards summoned Hamilton, who apologised before the governing body issued its verdict, saying: “During the hearing the driver of Car 44 was very apologetic and realised that the situation could have been very dangerous for him as well as the drivers approaching.
“The Stewards reinforced the fact that crossing a live track can cause extremely dangerous situations and the drivers have to be very cautious about it.”
However, a week after the race, the FIA reopened its investigation because it felt the incident was much more serious than perhaps originally thought.
There was a feeling that penalties for drivers crossing a live track should be much greater, as the FIA felt that it was sending the wrong impression on younger drivers.
The FIA stewards explained Sainz’s penalty was half of Hamilton’s from last year because the Spaniard’s offence was during a red flag while the British driver’s was during a safety car period in a race.
Sainz also argued he was beyond pit entry, which was taken as mitigating circumstances.
