FIA Rubs Salt in Carlos Sainz’s Wounds With a $28K Fine After Singapore GP Qualifying Crash

Carlos Sainz suffered a bizarre crash during the final part of the qualifying session of the 2024 Singapore GP on September 21. While starting his first flying lap of the session, he lost the rear end of his SF-24 coming out of turn 19 and ended up colliding with the barriers. This means that he will start the Grand Prix from only 10th on the grid but his troubles didn’t end there.

After getting out of his Ferrari, the Spaniard crossed the track and entered the pit lane. The Stewards noted Sainz for this incident and have now penalized him for doing so without obtaining permission from the marshalls. He has been handed a 25,000 euro ($28,000) fine for the offense.

Article 26.7(b) of the 2024 F1 sporting regulations makes it clear that a driver must not cross a live track or enter the pit lane without the prior approval of a marshall. Hence, the penalty dished out to the #55 driver was in strict accordance with the regulations.

However, given the mitigating circumstances (like the red flag), half of the fine has been suspended till the end of the season on the condition that such an incident is not repeated. This isn’t the first instance when a driver has been penalized for crossing a live Formula 1 track.

| FIA DECISION: Carlos Sainz has been fined for €25,000. €12,500 of which is suspended until the end of the 2024 on the condition that no further breach of similar nature.

After Lewis Hamilton was fined €50,000 in Qatar for a similar breach, the FIA said they will reassess… https://t.co/agY2BAYu7n

— Desi Racing Co. (@DesiRacingco) September 21, 2024

Last year, Lewis Hamilton was fined for crossing the Losail International Circuit after his lap one contact with Mercedes teammate George Russell during the 2023 Qatar GP. The seven-time world champion was slapped with a staggering 50,000 euro ($56,000) fine for the same.

Earlier this year, McLaren driver Lando Norris was also penalized by the FIA for breaching Article 26.7(b) of the sporting regulations. After crashing out of the 2024 Miami GP Sprint Race on lap one, he had proceeded to walk back to the pit lane without obtaining permission from the marshalls. He, too, was fined 50,000 euros ($56,000) like Hamilton.

In Sainz‘s case, however, the FIA explained, “The Stewards compared this to other penalties that have been given recently, which were given when the track was in race conditions, but under the safety car and consider that this is a somewhat less severe case, because of the red flag.” And so, they decided to give him a lesser fine.