The FIA has now reviewed Atlassian Williams’ racing driver, Carlos Sainz Jr.’s, Zandvoort penalty, issuing an official verdict. For context, at the Dutch Grand Prix, both Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) and Sainz Jr. (Williams) came into contact at the start of lap 27, after the race resumed following a safety car for Lewis Hamilton’s crash. Both cars collided, leaving Lawson’s left rear tire punctured. The duo was fighting for 7th position, but the incident caused them to finish in undesirable positions. While Lawson wasn’t held equally accountable for the incident, Sainz Jr. received a 10-second penalty in the race, plus two penalty points on his FIA Super License, which left him visibly frustrated with the outcome. According to the stewards’ assessment, Lawson’s position at the apex entitled him to the corner.
FIA Removes Penalty Points for Carlos Sainz Jr. after the “controversial” Zandvoort Collision
During the race, Sainz Jr. was informed of the stewards’ decision that he had received a 10-second penalty for the controversial collision. Over the radio, he expressed his disappointment, saying, “[w]ho gets a penalty? Me? Are you joking? You’re joking. I mean, it’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in my life.” After the race, he stated that he needed to speak with the stewards to understand their perspective on the incident, as he found the decision difficult to accept and hoped for a careful reassessment.
In a conversation with GP Blog, Sainz Jr. said, “Honestly, I need to go now to the stewards just to get an explanation. To see what is their point of view of the incident. Because it’s unacceptable. I think it’s not the level of stewarding that Formula 1 demands if they are really considering that to be a 10-second penalty.”
Following this, Williams requested a “Right of Review” to seek clarity on the FIA’s decision. As evidence, they also submitted 360-degree camera footage from both cars and testimony from Sainz.
On Friday, September 13, the FIA stewards held a virtual meeting with both teams, Atlassian Williams and Racing Bulls, to review the penalty and issue their final verdict. The FIA decided to overturn the two penalty points handed to Sainz on his FIA Super License. In their decision, they noted that none of the drivers was “wholly” or “predominantly” to blame.
The decision read, “However, in the Stewards’ assessment, no driver was wholly or predominantly to blame for that collision. Car 55 contributed to the incident by taking the risk to drive close to, and on the outside of, Car 30 when Car 55 had no right to room there, and there was a real possibility that, if the collision had not occurred where it did, Car 55 would have run off track at the exit and/or a collision would have occurred at the exit, for which the Driver of Car 55 would likely be predominantly, if not wholly, to blame.”
The report further added, “The time penalty imposed by the Decision was served by Car 55 during the race. The Stewards have no power to remedy that served time penalty by amending the Classifications but note that the gap between Car 55 and the car ahead in the Final Classification of the race (coincidentally Car 30) was 17 seconds. With the Decision having been rescinded, it follows that the two penalty points imposed on the Driver of Car 55 are to be removed.”
After the verdict, Atlassian Williams Racing took to their social media to express their gratitude for the stewards’ decision on the penalty and expressed their hope to continue collaborating with the FIA on improving the stewarding process.
