The stewards punished Carlos Sainz €25,000 for sprinting across the track following his crash during Singapore Grand Prix qualifying, with €12,500 suspended.
Sainz lost control of his Ferrari in the circuit’s last corner as he prepared to start a flying lap and collided with the outside barrier.
The incident caused the session to be suspended with a red flag, and when Sainz exited his car, he crossed the track to take the quickest way back to Ferrari’s garage.
For safety reasons, drivers are not permitted to cross the circuit while the session is still in progress and must get permission from a marshal once all cars have returned to the pits.
“The stewards examined video, questioned the marshals and heard from the driver that he crossed without first obtaining permission from a marshal,” according to the stewards’ statement.
“The regulations state unequivocally that this is not permitted and is a potentially very dangerous situation. The Race Director emphasized this at a previous drivers’ meeting.
“The stewards acknowledge that Sainz believed the track was clean because he was approaching the pit entry and there was a red flag. However, there were still five cars in circulation, and it was possible that one
make a mistake and not enter the pit lane, or may have reached the pit lane faster than Sainz anticipated.Furthermore, additional vehicles may have entered the track without the driver’s awareness. The stewards reviewed this to other penalties issued recently, when the circuit was in racing conditions but under safety car, and determined that this is a slightly less serious situation due to the red flag.
“Additionally, the driver’s belief that he was beyond the pit entry is another mitigating factor. However, in light of the specific regulation repeated in recent drivers’ meetings, the stewards order the fine, which is lower than previous punishments, and half to be suspended for the remaining.
of the 2024 season, given the mitigating conditions.” Sainz qualified eighth for Sunday’s race, but if Ferrari makes alterations to his car while mending it, he may have to start from the pit lane.
Speaking about the incident, the Ferrari driver admitted that he miscalculated how much temperature his tyres had lost after moving off the racing line to let other cars pass ahead to the final circuit.
“I had a bit of a strange accident there,” he told me. “I had to allow a lot of cars through there.
“I opened my lap, and my tires were much cooler than I expected. I miscalculated the grip on the bump on Turn 17, and it absolutely snapped on me. Driving mistake. “I was already under pressure with another car approaching, and I knew that when I started the lap, I was going to be slower because the approach in the last corner was slow.” So it means I tried to accomplish something when I didn’t have adequate grip.
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