Two penalties have affected the grid at F1’s first Las Vegas Grand Prix, to be held on a strip circuit, with one controversially affecting a potential winner.
Carlos Sainz dropped from 2nd to 12th place on the grid after a water valve cover came off during opening practice, causing major damage to his Ferrari’s chassis, internal combustion engine, battery and control electronics unit. fell back to the position.
Ferrari applied for the mandatory penalty to be waived, taking into account the circumstances of the damage caused, and F1 stewards effectively agreed, but said there was an “obligation” to impose the sanction despite “mitigating, unusual and unfortunate circumstances”. Stated. Do not allow any leeway.
Sainz’s demotion leaves Max Verstappen’s Red Bull on the front row alongside Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, while George Russell’s Mercedes completes the top three.
The penalty blow was felt even more acutely given Ferrari’s overwhelming pace so far this weekend.
Another penalty target was Lance Stroll, who dropped from 14th to 19th in his Aston Martin after overtaking Sainz under a yellow flag in final practice.
Stewards said Stroll “looked at the dashboard, ‘headed down’ and said he was concentrating on the Ferrari in front of him and missed the flag,” but added: “The yellow light panel was not visible, but… It is clear in the regulations that flags and flags are displayed.” The same is true for light panels. ”
However, he avoided a potential double penalty when he was called up for failing to slow down in another yellow flag scenario in qualifying.
In that case, the stewards accepted that Stroll’s sector time was misleading and that he had reacted to a yellow.
“Telemetry inspection and comparison with the telemetry of No. 14 teammate” [Fernando Alonso] The driver of car No. 18 revealed this. [Stroll] Although he released the throttle earlier than his previous fast lap and returned to the throttle later than his previous fast lap, his corner entry speed was significantly slower than his previous fast lap and his teammate’s speed. ” their judgment read.
“Furthermore, his time in the yellow flag sector was greater than his previous fastest lap, even though his lap times improved as the session progressed due to the evolution of the track.”
Tentative Las Vegas Grand Prix Grid
1 Leclerc (Ferrari)
2 Verstappen (Red Bull)
3 Russell (Mercedes)
4 Gasly (Alpine)
5 Albon (Williams)
6 Sergeant (Williams)
7 Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
8 Magnussen (Haas)
9 Alonso (Aston Martin)
10 Hamilton (Mercedes)
11 Perez (Red Bull)
12 Sainz (Ferrari)*
13 Hulkenberg (Haas)
14 Ricardo (AlphaTauri)
15 Norris (McLaren)
16 Ocon (Alpine)
17 laps (Alfa Romeo)
18 Piastri (McLaren)
19 Stroll (Aston Martin)**
20 Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
* 10th place penalty
** 5th place penalty
