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“It wouldn’t be an issue for the stewards” – Carlos Sainz offers F1 solution after Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen incident in Brazil

Samriddhi Jaiswal
Published

"It was a great battle upfront and they managed to keep it clean, no crashes, no contact." - Ferrari star driver thankful over a brilliant and safe end to the championship

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz suggested a solution to minimise on track incidents like the one at the Brazil GP.

Carlos Sainz says an increase in the number of gravel traps on the tracks would help escape on track incidents like those in the Brazil GP.

In the last weekend’s race, Lewis Hamilton cruised through the track after starting 10th on the grid. But the title rival, Max Verstappen ran his Red Bull wide, taking both himself and the seven-time world champion off the track, trying to defend his position in the race.

However, the British racing driver managed to overtake the Red Bull driver and secure a victory that puts him right back in the title fight with the Dutchman.

After the incident, the stewards decided that no investigation into the incident was necessary. Although Mercedes has now requested a review from F1 Race Control.

Carlos Sainz believes there is an easy solution that will prevent drivers from wilfully running wide. Gravel traps are used at circuits such as Silverstone, Imola and Monza to slow down and stop cars that exit the track.

Also Read: Mercedes boss thinks that their ‘new engine’ boost won’t be lasting very long

Carlos Sainz suggests old school circuits

Earlier the circuits made extensive use of gravel, but newer and renovated tracks have often sought to replace them with tarmac run-off areas that allow drivers to carry on pressing their foot to the accelerator.

Sainz said, “I personally think that this issue would be solved with a gravel trap on the exit of Turn 4.

I think you also saw at the start a few cars – including ourselves – going wide in Turn 4. If there had been a gravel trap, we wouldn’t have gone there.”

“And instead of actually it being an issue for the stewards, if you put a gravel trap there, it wouldn’t be an issue for the stewards, for Michael [Masi, FIA race director], for Lewis, for Max or for us,” the 27-year-old Spaniard added.

“We keep asking for gravel traps and we hope [for] that in the future, especially at a track like Sao Paulo where MotoGP is not running, because we would never brake so late into Turn 4.”

Sainz currently sits seventh in the drivers’ standings, 8.5 points behind Monégasque teammate Charles Leclerc. Verstappen leads the championship by 14 points, but a resurgence in Mercedes’ straight-line speed means the battle is wide open with three races remaining.

Also Read: Red Bull advisor is not optimistic about their chances to win the Championship after a dominant Mercedes performance in Brazil

About the author

Samriddhi Jaiswal

Samriddhi Jaiswal

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Samriddhi Jaiswal is an F1 editor and writer at The SportsRush. She started her career as a business journalist but soon found her calling in lights out here we go! Samriddhi has been a Ferrari fan even when her interaction with F1 was occasional. Her first real experience with the thrilling sport came when Charles Leclerc clinched his iconic victory in Spa and Monza and painted the track red. Now, a Tifosi, Samriddhi is a hardcore fan of the prancing horse and can relate to the chaos within the Italian camp and also admires Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Off the track, she finds her home in books and musical instruments.

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