Sainz, Stroll and Hülkenberg reprimanded by the FIA following the Q3 incident
An unusual event occurred during the final phase of the Italian Grand Prix qualifiers yesterday. The 9 drivers on the track engaged in a strange game that led them to complete an exceptionally slow lap. The FIA did not sanction anyone but reprimanded some drivers.
The track marshals analyzed the drivers’ times during the qualifying sessions and examined the case of three drivers in particular for driving slower than necessary.
Article 27.4 of the F1 sporting regulations states: « At no time may a car drive slower than necessary in a manner that could be deemed dangerous to other drivers or any other person. »
The commissioners therefore found that the drivers Lance Stroll (Racing Point), Carlos Sainz (McLaren), and Nico Hülkenberg (Renault) violated this rule.
« The commissioners reviewed the video evidence, GPS data, telemetry data, and radio communications. » the statement specifies.
Carlos Sainz justified himself by explaining that he drove slowly to benefit from the slipstream of other drivers and that he was not the only one in this case. However, the stewards deemed it appropriate to advise the FIA to find a solution for this kind of situation.
No penalty was thus imposed, but an official reprimand was given (the first of the season for these three drivers).
Nico Hülkenberg and Lance Stroll justified themselves in the same way. During the last qualifying lap, these three drivers were ahead of the other qualified drivers in Q3. They played an important role in setting the pace of the lap, but the other drivers didn’t really try to overtake them and ultimately all contributed to this bizarre scenario.
