F1 teams demand clarity from FIA after Carlos Sainz’s incident in Shanghai

Teams have sought clarity from the FIA following Carlos Sainz’s incident during qualifying for the 2024 Formula 1 1 Chinese Grand Prix.

The outcome of the qualifying session for the Chinese Grand Prix remained uncertain for a few hours after Carlos Sainz’s incident. The Ferrari driver lost control of his car during Q2, briefly returning to the pits before completing the session at the 5.451-kilometre Shanghai International Circuit.

This was precisely the point Aston Martin intended to contest. According to Lawrence Stroll’s team, the regulations prohibit a driver from resuming the session after stopping on the track. However, the protest was not upheld as, according to the stewards’ report, Article 39.6 of the regulations applies only when the car in question receives assistance from marshals, which did not happen during Carlos Sainz’s incident.

Teams demand clarity from the federation
“At the end of the day, it’s just about clarifying the matter. We have many discussions with race directors, and we have to accept their decisions,” said Aston Martin’s performance director. “We hope that after our protest, the article will be made clearer because there is evidently some ambiguity.”

The issue was also addressed by Ferrari team principalFrederic Vasseur, who agreed with Tom McCullough. “We requested permission to return to the track, and it was granted. However, the matter definitely needs to be reviewed because the regulations are currently too complex.” – the French manager explained.

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This isn’t the first time the Federation has had to manage such situations. Similar incidents occurred in Abu Dhabi during the controversial finale of the 2021 Formula 1 season and in Monaco shortly after. Undoubtedly, the FIA is working to prevent such occurrences in the future.