Carlos Sainz has been reprimanded by the stewards for
alleged dangerous driving after retiring from the Brazilian Grand Prix on
Sunday.
Sainz crashed
out midway through the race and was reprimanded for creating a “potentially
dangerous situation”, by attempting to move his car after marshals had started
the recovery process.
Carlos Sainz reprimanded for dangerous driving in
Brazilian Grand Prix
He crashed on lap 40 in the middle sector to bring out
the Safety Car, but as marshals approached his Ferrari with a recovery vehicle,
he attempted to drive away before his car came to a final stop for the
afternoon at a dramatic wet race.
This created an “avoidable” and “potentially dangerous”
situation, according to the governing body, for which the Ferrari driver has
been reprimanded.
“The driver crashed on his own. The marshals were quickly
on the scene to recover the car. The driver removed the steering wheel
indicating to the marshals that he was abandoning the car,” read the FIA’s
verdict.
“The team then informed the driver that they thought the car
was safe to continue. The driver replaced the steering wheel while the marshals
had started to feed the recovery loop through the roll hoop of the car.
“The driver admitted that he was not aware that the marshals
had commenced the recovery procedure.
“The marshals recognizing that the driver was going to
attempt to restart aborted the recovery attempt just as the driver drove the
car away.
“The driver admitted that he did not know that the marshals
had started the recovery procedure and accepted that removing the steering
wheel was a clear indication of his intention to abandon the car.
“A potentially dangerous situation was created that was
avoidable by the driver solely.”
Sainz admitted he would look to put this weekend behind him
quickly however, writing on social media after the race: “Definitely a Sunday
to forget.
“Sorry to the team and for the extra work. I’ve struggled
with this car in the wet this year, and today I just didn’t have the right
feeling either. We will turn the page and reset everything for Las Vegas.”
This summons for Sainz adds to what was a busy afternoon for the FIA stewards, with Nico Hulkenberg having been black-flagged for receiving assistance from the marshals following a spin.
.webp)
