Carlos Sainz was not happy with the lack of action against Lewis Hamilton when the FIA stewards chose not to investigate an overtaking move during the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver was racing for fourth place and committed to a robust move on the inside of Turn 1, with the help of DRS, midway through the race. Carlos Sainz ran close to Lewis Hamilton at the apex of the corner, causing slight contact between the two, which forced the Ferrari driver to yield the position.
After the incident, Sainz asked his race engineer over team radio, Riccardo Adami: “He touched me, he ran me off. Check the onboard.”
When he was later told there was no further action, Sainz retorted: “I don’t understand why there is a rule book and we don’t follow it.”
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What does the FIA Driving Standards Guidelines say?
Sainz admitted that his complaints over team radio were intended to catch the eye of the FIA stewards, who must apply a set of ‘Driving Standards Guidelines’ whenever considering a penalty.
The full guidelines were published by the FIA in 2022 at the request of drivers following the 2021 season when there was a series of controversies over stewards’ decisions to penalise, not penalise, or not investigate incidents.
They cover the rules and requirements covering incidents during attempted overtakes, gaining a lasting advantage by leaving the track, impeding and overtaking for chicanes and s-bends.
The F1 guidelines for a car overtaking on the inside state: “In order for a car being overtaken to be required to give sufficient room to an overtaking car, the overtaking car needs to have a significant portion of the car alongside the car being overtaken and the overtaking manoeuvre must be done in a safe and controlled manner, while enabling the car to clearly remain within the limits of the track.
“When considering what is a ‘significant portion’ for an overtaking on the inside of a corner, among the various factors that will be looked at by the stewards when exercising their discretion, the stewards will consider if the overtaking car’s front tyres are alongside the other car by no later than the apex of the corner.”
Why Carlos Sainz was angry over Lewis Hamilton’s ‘hard racing’ move
Sainz indicated that while he felt Hamilton’s move was “hard racing” the rulebook does not explicitly allow for the move to take place when speaking to Sky Sports.
“If you follow the rulebook as it’s written, exactly, then I don’t think it was legal. But if you ask me as a racer, I think it was tough move,” said Sainz.
He compared the move to one he made on Oscar Piastri during the Miami Grand Prix, when both drivers made contact at the penultimate corner and the Ferrari driver was penalised.
Hamilton felt the move was legal and made reference to a key aspect outlined in the guidelines: “Ultimately he didn’t cover the inside line, he left the door open, which I went for. Late move up alongside him, we were wheel-to-wheel. I think he was still on track so I left him room, as much space as I could.”
The move appeared to be robust enough to not warrant any investigation from the stewards, while the contact was minimal enough to not be deemed ‘causing a collision’ under the sporting regulations.
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