The FIA punishes Carlos Sainz when he did not expect it: “The stewards do not accept his interpretation”
hard blow for Carlos Sainz. The Madrid driver seemed happy after qualifying for the F1 Baku GP 2026 this Friday after signing his best fight against the clock of the year, with a good step forward of his renewed Williamswhich allowed him to attack to get into Q3 and finish in 9th place.
However, the FIA announced hours later a sanction to the Madrid native of five positions lost on the grid for this Saturday’s race in Azerbaijan and two points lost in the super license. He will go from 9th to 14th in the starting order.
The most striking thing is that Carlos Sainzin his statements after qualifying on ‘DAZN’, was sure that he had complied with the regulations when he saw a yellow flag on the track in Q3 and that they were not going to sanction him. But it happened. The commissioners did not accept the Spanish version. The yellow flag was shown in sectors 4 and 5 of commissioners’ posts, but according to the document from the FIA, Carlos only slowed down in the second.
“He considered that this was a ‘global reduction’ covering the consecutive yellow sectors. He further explained that the car that had initially caused the yellow flag was no longer in the loophole and that he expected the yellow flags to be withdrawn. The stewards did not accept this interpretation,” the FIA document reads.
Sainz’s version
“I have gained more than 3 or 4 tenths. There will be no penalty, I’m sure, since I have done everything they have asked me to do and also, just when I came to braking, Lando came out of the yellow flag and the yellow flag just ended when I entered turn 3,” said Carlos Sainz on ‘DAZN’ before going to see the stewards.
“I don’t think there is any problem. But whether they penalize me or not, today we did what we had to do or even more than what we had to do, so at least today I enjoy that and tomorrow I will try to score points,” he said. And finally, they punished him.
The FIA document, in full, with the sanction to Sainz
“The stewards listened to the driver of car 55 (Carlos Sainz) and the team representative, and reviewed the video footage, times, telemetry, radio communications and in-car camera footage. Individual yellow flags were displayed in sectors 4 and 5 of the stewards’ stations, particularly after Turn 2 and on the approach to Turn 3. The yellow flag indications were clearly visible and SAI had also received a radio warning from the team: ‘Yellow ahead, get up’.
SAI confirmed during the hearing that it was aware of the yellow flag situation. SAI explained that its intention was to demonstrate a speed reduction throughout the entire yellow flag zone. He stated that he did not consider it necessary to reduce speed on the straight and instead planned to demonstrate his reaction when approaching and exiting Turn 3. He considered this to be a ‘global reduction’ covering consecutive yellow sectors.
He further explained that the car that had initially caused the yellow flag was no longer in the loophole and that he hoped the yellow flags would be removed. The commissioners did not accept this interpretation.
Sainz explained that his intention was to demonstrate a speed reduction throughout the entire yellow flag area. He stated that he did not consider it necessary to reduce speed on the straight and instead planned to demonstrate his reaction when approaching and exiting Turn 3. He considered this to be a ‘global reduction’ covering the consecutive yellow sectors
When multiple consecutive sectors of marshal positions are subject to yellow flag conditions, a driver must demonstrate a significant reaction to reduce speed in each of the individual yellow flag sectors. A speed reduction in a later sector cannot retroactively satisfy the requirement applicable to the previous yellow sector. This obligation also does not depend on the pilot’s own assessment of whether the original danger is still present in a certain part of the yellow flag sector.
When multiple consecutive sectors of marshal positions are subject to yellow flag conditions, a driver must demonstrate a significant reaction to reduce speed in each of the individual yellow flag sectors.
The telemetry clearly showed that SAI’s reaction to the yellow flag occurred only in sector 5 of the marshals’ stations. There was no significant reduction in speed in Sector 4 that could reasonably be attributed to a reaction to the yellow flag. In fact, SAI recorded its fastest time of the session in Sector 4 of the stewards’ stalls. The stewards therefore did not accept that the subsequent speed reduction in Sector 5 constituted a sufficient ‘global’ response covering both sectors.
This differs from cases where telemetry demonstrates a significant reaction to the yellow flag, even though the reduction in total sector time is relatively small. “In the present case, SAI was aware of the yellow flag, had received explicit warning from the team, the yellow flag indications were clearly visible and telemetry demonstrated that it did not make the required reaction in sector 4 of the marshals’ stations. When several consecutive sectors of the marshals’ stations are subject to yellow flag conditions, a driver must demonstrate a significant reaction to reduce speed in each of the individual yellow flag sectors.”
Thus, the FIA considered that Carlos Sainz’s explanations and his interpretation of the situation did not comply with the rules in the event of a yellow flag. The stewards consider that Carlos should have slowed down and reduced his speed in the two sectors of steward positions in which this dangerous situation was marked.
