Williams has succeeded in its attempts to have the stewards rescind the penalty given to Carlos Sainz for colliding with Liam Lawson in this year’s Dutch Grand Prix.
Sainz was originally given a 10-second time penalty and two penalty points on his license for causing a collision with Lawson, as both drivers picked up punctures when Sainz’s right front touched Lawson’s left rear near the exit of Turn 1 at Zandvoort. Sainz was vocal on team radio and after the race about the punishment, stating he would attempt to speak to the stewards afterwards.
During last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, Williams confirmed it had submitted a request for right to review the incident, and needed to prove that it had new, relevant and significant evidence in order to get the penalty re-assessed.
A hearing to discuss the matter took place on Friday, with the stewards accepting the threshold was met to review the penalty as Williams could provide a 360-degree camera from Sainz’s car and rear-facing camera angle from Lawson’s that were not available at the time of the decision. Those angles were deemed new, relevant and significant.
The stewards dismissed the fact that Sainz’s testimony also acted as an element that would meet the threshold as “the Stewards have the power and authority to issue a decision in session without hearing from a driver” and a driver’s point of view does not materially add to the evaluation of any incident on top of the video evidence available. However, the camera angles resulted in the review proceeding.
During the following penalty hearing, Williams argued that the clash should be deemed a racing incident as Lawson caught a snap mid-corner that led to the contact. The report states that Williams representatives “were at pains to make clear that they were not suggesting that the Driver of Car 30 [Lawson] should be penalized, only that the penalty to Car 55 [Sainz] was unjustified.”
In rescinding the penalty the stewards explained that the new camera angles satisfied them that the collision was caused by a momentary loss of control by Lawson.
“However, in the stewards’ assessment, no driver was wholly or predominantly to blame for that collision,” the stewards added. “Car 55 contributed to the incident by taking the risk to drive close to, and on the outside of, Car 30 when Car 55 had no right to room there and there was a real possibility that, if the collision had not occurred where it did, Car 55 would run out of track at the exit and/or a collision would have occurred at the exit for which the Driver of Car 55 would likely be predominantly if not wholly to blame.”
The 10-second time penalty handed to Sainz could not be erased because it had been served during the race, but had little impact as he finished 17 seconds behind the next car – coincidentally Lawson. However, the two penalty points that Sainz was given were rescinded.
“We are grateful to the stewards for reviewing Carlos’ Zandvoort penalty and are pleased they have now decided he was not at fault and that this was a racing incident,” a Williams statement read. “While it is frustrating that our race was compromised by the original decision, mistakes are part of motor racing and we will continue to work constructively with the FIA to improve stewarding processes and review the racing rules for the future.”
