The FP1 ended in disaster for Carlos Sainz as he suffered a complete engine failure after bottoming his car out on a loose manhole cover. The Scarlett Ferrari suffered a broken monocoque, a damaged engine, and battery, rendering the car unusable without a change of parts. Having done the same, the Spaniard was at the receiving end of some harsh penalty that not every driver was in favor of.
🗣️ “I think I’m paying tomorrow one of the most unfair penalties I’ve ever seen”
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz gives his honest thoughts on his Las Vegas Grand Prix grid drop penalty 🏎️📉pic.twitter.com/OUnyi9K43s
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 18, 2023
Following the rejection of Ferrari’s no-penalty appeal, Sainz faces a 10-place grid penalty because his team opted to replace power unit components on his car. As such, despite having qualified in P2 for the Las Vegas GP, the Spaniard will have to start the race in P12. Speaking about the penalty, McLaren’s Zak Brown was not against the idea of another team blocking the call for a waiver of the penalty. He claimed that there is often a lot of “self-interest” within the sport, and the same could’ve been the cause behind another team that is in competition with them rejecting the call.
Meanwhile, world champion Max Verstappen has also come forth to express his dissatisfaction over the ruling while also blaming the current political climate within F1 as the reason behind it, as quoted in an update on X by ‘Ferrari News.’
“Teams should not be allowed to have a say in these kind of things. For sure they are going to vote against that. I think it’s very hard on Carlos. In this political environment we are in, every team thinks about themselves.”
Both Ferrari drivers were also on song with the words of Verstappen, as Charles Leclerc said, “I agree on everything.” Meanwhile, an aggravated Sainz said, “I want to add many things, but I will try to control myself.”
Did Mercedes block the no-penalty call on Carlos Sainz?
Soon after the rejection of Ferrari‘s plea, rumors surfaced that Mercedes was the one responsible for the authorities not going easy on Sainz. There were reports that Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft had inside information about the Silver Arrows taking the charge against their rival team’s driver. Looking for some clarification over the same, Ted Kravitz asked for an official word from the Mercedes camp.
SkySports disse que a Mercedes vetou uma exceção para que Carlos Sainz não fosse punido.
A análise das regras, no entanto, repudia esta versão dos fatos.
Na verdade, não há NENHUM artigo que permita tal procedimento, na presença de circunstâncias particulares, derrogações à… pic.twitter.com/K2yQrPKivD
— Mercedes-AMG F1 Brasil 🇧🇷 (@MercedesAMGF1BR) November 17, 2023
The Brackley-based team denied all claims and deemed them “speculation.” The team further explained how they could not cause any hindrance in the matter. “The precedent is that even when it’s not the driver or team’s fault, you carry the penalty, and the rules don’t allow for discretion to be applied.” The team added they would only have objected if there were any unfair rulings at play.
