Las Vegas Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz Penalised with Grid Drop After Long Night

Carlos Sainz incurs a 10-place grid penalty at the Las Vegas GP after first practice damage, with Ferrari's exemption request denied by stewards.

Carlos Sainz faces a significant setback at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, receiving a 10-place grid penalty following damage to his Ferrari in the first practice session. Despite Ferrari's appeal for leniency due to the unusual circumstances, the stewards enforced the strict regulations, leading to this strange and arguably unfair decision.

Key Takeaways:

• Incident Details: In the opening stages of the Las Vegas Grand Prix's first practice, Carlos Sainz's car was damaged after hitting a drain cover. The impact affected his engine, Energy Store, and Control Electronics, as well as the survival cell.
• Ferrari's Appeal Rejected: Ferrari requested a derogation of the Sporting Regulations to replace the Energy Store without penalty, arguing that the damage was caused by extraordinary external factors. However, the stewards, after reviewing the evidence and regulations, denied this request.
• Regulations Enforced: The stewards, citing Article 2.1 of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations, emphasised the necessity to apply the rules as written. Consequently, the mandatory penalty under Article 28.3 was imposed, leading to Sainz's grid drop.

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The Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend took an unexpected turn for Carlos Sainz, Ferrari, and fans of the sport. During the inaugural practice session at the new Las Vegas Strip Circuit, Sainz's SF23 liftedand hit a drain cover, leading to considerable damage. This unfortunate incident resulted in the damage of vital components such as the engine, Energy Store, Control Electronics, and the car's survival cell.

Ferrari, arguing the unusual nature of the incident, sought a reprieve from the standard penalties associated with component replacements. They submitted a request for a 'derogation of the Sporting Regulations' to the stewards, hoping to change the Energy Store without the usual consequences. This request, however, was not accepted.

“The stewards determine that notwithstanding the fact that the damage was caused by highly unusual external circumstances, Article 2.1 of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations obliges all officials, including the Stewards, to apply the regulations as they are written,” the resulting document stated.

“Accordingly, the mandatory penalty specified under Article 28.3 of the Sporting Regulations must be applied.

“The stewards note that if they had the authority to grant a derogation in what they consider in this case to be mitigating, unusual and unfortunate circumstances, they would have done so, however the regulations do not allow such action.”

This therefore means that the mandatory penalty under Article 28.3 of the Sporting Regulations has to be enforced, resulting in a 10-place grid drop for Sainz.