Sainz admits some racing rules ‘still a bit blurry to me’
Carlos Sainz expressed his concerns about the clarity and consistency of Formula 1's racing rules following several controversial decisions by the stewards in last weekend’s US Grand Prix.
The officials’ decision-making came under scrutiny after the incident involving Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at Turn 12 in the closing stages of the race.
Norris was penalized for leaving the track and gaining an advantage after being pushed wide by Verstappen.
Several other drivers, including George Russell and Oscar Piastri, were also penalized for similar incidents during the race weekend.
In particular, the McLaren driver’s penalty in the Sprint race drew criticism from both Sainz and his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc when they were asked if F1’s rules were clear enough.
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“I think some are, others are still a bit blurry to me, let's put it like that,” commented Sainz.
“I think there was an example yesterday with Oscar's overtake. That for me was completely fine and very similar to anything that we've done between each other on the sprint.”
Sainz suggested that the stewards’ call didn’t align with how he and other drivers understood the rules.
“I felt like the penalty on Oscar yesterday was really, really harsh and didn't go along with some guidelines that I thought were the way they were.
“So yeah, that penalty surprised me yesterday. About today, I have no clue because I haven't seen, I haven't gone five seconds by five seconds penalty to see. So let's see.”
Leclerc echoed Sainz’s view regarding the Piastri incident, calling the penalty excessive.
“Yeah, I agree with Carlos on Oscar's penalty yesterday,” added the US Grand Prix victor. “I also thought it was a bit too harsh.”
However, Leclerc offered a more nuanced perspective on the rules themselves, acknowledging that while they are generally clear, interpretation can vary depending on the situation.
“However, on the rules, I think they are clear,” he continued. “Sometimes the interpretation of the rule can be a little bit different because it will be impossible to have a rule book that takes every single scenario.
“Every scenario is different, has its particularity, and you've got to analyse it in a different way and interpret the rules in some ways for particular scenarios, which is what the FIA is trying to do best.”
Leclerc admitted that disagreements are inevitable in the sport, given the complexity of racing incidents, and hinted that the drivers would likely address these concerns in the next drivers’ briefing ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix.
“However, sometimes we disagree, and I think on the one of yesterday, it's something that we'll probably talk of in the next driver briefing,” he concluded.
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