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 Q3 remaining.
Sainz was unhurt in 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, which means he is set to start tenth for tomorrow’s Grand Prix, Sainz admitted it had been his mistake.
“I had a bit of a strange exit in there,” he said. “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 [Turn] 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 approaching the last corner so slow.
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, climbs out of his damaged car after a crash in Qualifying
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“So it meant that I tried to do something that was not enough grip to do.”
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, the contact breaking his right-rear wheel and ending his race.
While the race was placed under the safety car, Hamilton 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 their 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 for it 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.
