McLaren retains third after Sainz escapes Abu Dhabi penalty
Carlos Sainz has been cleared of any wrongdoing following an official investigation into potentially driving too slowly in the Formula 1 pitlane during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, allowing McLaren to retain third place in the standings.
As cars rushed to the pits during an early race virtual safety car period caused by Sergio Perez’s Racing Point coming to a halt at the side of the track, Sainz appeared to slow before the entry.
His speed drop looked like it held up Racing Point’s Lance Stroll behind him, and could have been a tactic to avoid being delayed too much at a double stacked McLaren pitstop.
After his actions were reported to the stewards, Sainz and Stroll were both summoned to a post-race investigation.
However, with Sainz having had no team instruction to slow down, there was also no evidence from car data that showed he had done anything out of the ordinary.
Telemetry data showed that he had braked briefly to less than the 80km/h speed limit prior to the pit lane entry line, before accelerating back up to the limit. Other drivers, including Sebastian Vettel, had done exactly the same.
Sainz was judged to have been at 80km/h for all but approximately five seconds in the pitlane phase, and this meant he arrived at his box just 0.6 seconds later than he could have done had he maintained full speed.
A statement from the stewards said: “We are not of the view that this action in any way resulted in the Team avoiding a “double stack” situation as Car 55 (Sainz) was well clear of the Pit Stop at this time.
“We also accept the explanation of the driver of Car 55 that he was exercising a degree of caution as video evidence confirms the presence of a lot of other teams’ personnel in the Pit Lane at the time.
“Car 18 (Stroll) was able to maintain a speed of 80 km/h in the Pit Lane except for a very short period of time (approximately 1 second) and therefore we do not consider that it was materially impacted by the actions of the driver of Car 55.
“We also checked the relative speeds of the cars after leaving their pit stops and can see no evidence of Car 55 driving unnecessarily slowly.”
With McLaren locked in a tight fight with Racing Point for third place in the constructors’ championship, a Sainz penalty could have had a big impact in the outcome.
However, team principal Andreas Seidl said he was never too worried about the situation as he always felt that Sainz had done nothing wrong.
“Obviously you need to figure in potential penalties, but with the gap all the time to Daniel [Ricciardo] it was never really something that worried us,” he said. “And from our point of view, it doesn't deserve any penalty.”
Related video
Hamilton says COVID effects affected him "massively" in race
Verstappen feared Imola tyre failure repeat while leading
The key aspects of Porsche and Audi's planned F1 entries
The VW Group’s German superpowers of sportscar racing have all but confirmed they are coming to F1 when the next set of engine rules come into force in 2026. Here's why both manufacturers are all set to take the plunge, and crucially how it might work
How Vegas went from byword for F1 indifference to grand Liberty coup
Holding a race in Las Vegas – party central, a city of dreams and decadence and, yes, more than a smattering of tackiness – has been on Liberty Media’s most-wanted list since it acquired Formula 1’s commercial rights. But, as LUKE SMITH explains, F1 has been here before and the relationship didn’t work out
Why de Vries' FP1 outing could add a new path to his current crossroads
A Formula 2 and Formula E champion, Nyck de Vries is currently considering where his future in motorsport lies. Continuing in WEC and Formula E is possible and he's also courted glances Stateside after impressing in an IndyCar test. But ahead of his Formula 1 FP1 debut with Williams, he could have another option if he impresses...
Why Leclerc's crash shouldn't put off F1 drivers tasting history
OPINION: For a demo run ahead of Monaco's Historique Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc was blessed with the opportunity to drive Niki Lauda's former Ferrari 312B3 - but a brake failure at Rascasse suggested Leclerc's Monaco hoodoo transcended contemporary F1. Although an awkward incident, Leclerc deserves credit for embracing F1's history.
Why the lack of "needle" between Red Bull and Ferrari is a mirage
OPINION: The fight for the 2022 Formula 1 world titles between Red Bull and Ferrari so far features little of the public animosity that developed between the former and Mercedes last year. But that isn’t to say things are full on friendly or won’t get much worse very quickly…
The underdog F1 squad that thrust Senna into the limelight
The Toleman TG184 was the car that could, according to legend, have given Ayrton Senna his first F1 win but for Alain Prost and Jacky Ickx at Monaco in 1984. That could be stretching the boundaries of the truth a little, but as STUART CODLING explains, the team's greatest legacy was in giving the Brazilian prodigy passed over by bigger outfits an opportunity
Why Aston Martin is unlikely to repeat Jaguar’s F1 mistakes
Two famous manufacturer teams born out of humble midfield origins, splashing the cash while attempting to rise to the top of F1 in record time. There are clear parallels between Lawrence Stroll’s Aston Martin and the doomed Jaguar Racing project of 22 years ago, but Mark Gallagher believes struggling Aston can avoid a similar fate.
How rejuvenated Haas recovered its F1 mojo
US-owned but until recently Russian-backed, Haas seems to have reached a turning point in car performance after three gruesome seasons. And it needs to if it’s to attract fresh investment. Team boss Gunther Steiner tells Oleg Karpov how close Haas came to the abyss.