Carlos Sainz has delivered a damning critique of stewarding in Formula 1 and called for clarity on the rules of overtaking after Oscar Piastri’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix penalty.
The McLaren driver was handed a 10-second time penalty for making contact with Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes after a Virtual Safety Car restart at Interlagos.
Piastri and Antonelli touched as the pair braked into Turn 1, which created a domino effect that saw Charles Leclerc retire from the race after being hit by Antonelli.
The Australian doubled down on his belief that he did not deserve a penalty, with Leclerc also chiming in, contending that Antonelli had also been partly to blame.
Sainz has had his own fair share of penalties for similar incidents this season, including a highly controversial clash with Liam Lawson at the Dutch Grand Prix.
That particular one was rescinded, and ahead of this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, the Spaniard expressed that greater clarification is extremely necessary.
“I think we need urgently a catch-up and try and solve it, because for me the fact that Oscar got a penalty there in Brazil is unacceptable,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“Honestly, for the category that we are in, and being the pinnacle of motorsport.
“I’m not going to explain why, I think you all guys saw what happened. I think everyone that’s seen racing knows that that is not Oscar’s fault at all, and everyone that’s really raced a race car knows he could have done nothing to avoid an accident there, and he got away with a 10-second penalty, so for me it’s something that I don’t understand.
“I didn’t understand my Zandvoort penalty, I didn’t understand why Oli got a penalty when we both collided in Monza. He was not deserving of that penalty and I told him straight out of the race.
“I didn’t understand how I got a 10-second in Austin, and then the Brazil situation, so there’s been not one but multiple incidents this year that for me are far from where the sport should be.”
Sainz: F1 drivers could understand who is at fault with ‘good stewarding’
The current format is that a group of stewards will be working at races in a group of three, working with Race Director Rui Marques.
Sainz indicated that if the structure was changed to a fixed trio at every Grand Prix, the drivers would be more likely to face clearer guidelines.
“With good stewarding, that they truly understand racing really well, and consistent stewarding, through the year we would develop an understanding among us and you would know when it’s your fault, they would know when it’s someone’s fault. But this is more my perception of things,” he said.
“I think if we had three fixed guys, the same way that we have a fixed Race Director, and we know the way they’ve been applying penalties through years, and we create that muscle memory or that memory of how they tend to rate penalties or no penalties.
“I honestly think even without guidelines, we know when it’s someone’s fault or not, or when it’s a simple racing mistake.”
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