Ferrari received a major boost in the race for second place in the constructors’ championship after drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. topped the timesheets during the second free practice session of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. .
But they, and Sainz in particular, face an uphill battle in the Grand Prix itself, through no fault of their own.
Early in the first practice session, Sainz ran over a manhole cover that had not been properly secured, causing significant damage to his SF-23. The incident caused race officials to red flag the session and ultimately cancel it, but workers diligently inspected the course and ensured that all cover along the road course was secured. did.
Sainz’s SF-23 was damaged, forcing Ferrari to work overtime to repair the car and ultimately requiring additional parts, which were outside the range of parts the team had allocated for this race. was.
Unfortunately, that requires a penalty. In this case, he will be penalized for 10th place in the Grand Prix later this weekend. Ferrari called for the “revocation of sporting regulations” that allow race officials to waive penalties. but, That request was also denied:
The Director of the FIA Single Seater Division, who heard from team principals, viewed the video evidence and considered the team’s declaration sheet, and concluded that despite the fact that the damage was caused by highly unusual external circ*mstances, It has been determined that Article 2.1 of the F1 Regulations applies. The Sporting Regulations require all officials, including stewards, to apply the rules as prescribed.
Therefore, the mandatory penalties set out in Article 28.3 of the Sporting Regulations must apply.
In a letter rejecting Ferrari’s request, race stewards indicated they were sympathetic to the team’s position, but said they were bound by the sporting regulations, which read: They would have taken such action had they considered this case to be mitigating, unusual and unfortunate circ*mstances, but the regulations do not permit such action. ”
Now the driver is speaking out.
“After that incident that you all saw, I had quite a few bruises on my back and neck.” Said Sainz. “Unfortunately, after the accident, obviously the chassis, power unit, battery and even my seat were damaged.
“In my opinion, this was a heroic effort by the team and the mechanics, which I could accept.” [part] In session,” he added. “I managed to get it done. I was able to make up for some time and focus on tomorrow.”
The driver is optimistic about the car’s potential given the team’s performance in FP2, but admitted the FIA’s decision has caused him to change his mind.
“It felt good,” he said. “You can clearly see that we are relatively competitive this weekend.
“I think the track layout is a little more fitting than it has been the last few times. The tires switched on well throughout the lap and it looks competitive. So I was very excited and optimistic.
“Unfortunately, at the end of the session, the team contacted me to inform me that through no fault of my own, and no fault of the team, I had been handed a 10-place grid penalty. It’s clear that my mindset has completely changed, and so has my opinion about the weekend and future weekends.
“I can’t believe the situation and you can imagine how disappointed I am and I won’t look too happy this weekend.”
The driver then talked about the big picture.
“What happened to me today is a very clear example of how this sport can improve in many different ways. In the FIA, teams and regulations, this can clearly be applied as a force majeure event where I will not be penalized. However, there is always a way to make this situation worse for an individual in some way. And in this case, I think it’s my turn to pay the price.”
As hinted at in the final decision, there may be an opportunity for the FIA to change the Sporting Regulations to allow for such an exemption in this situation.
There may also be financial implications for race organizers given the damage to Sainz’s SF-23.
During the second free practice of the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix, the drain cover came off and ended up hitting Haas driver Romain Grosjean at the time, causing a huge crash.
One year later, the team received the following award: Payment of compensation Race officials spoke about the damage to his car. When the matter was resolved the following year, Haas team principal Günter Steiner said, “We have settled the case.The insurance has handled it very well, so we are satisfied.” “The insurance company was very professional and held up to their responsibilities.”
So while Ferrari may receive some compensation in the future, it will be little consolation for the team at the moment as they hope to catch up with Mercedes in the battle for second place.
