Carlos Sainz Escapes Penalty After Las Vegas GP Qualifying Incident

Carlos Sainz will retain his impressive third-place grid position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix after the FIA investigated an incident with Lance Stroll during a rain-affected Q1 session. The Williams driver, who briefly went off track at Turn 5, was cleared of rejoining unsafely.

Why it matters:

Ferrari's strong qualifying performance in tricky conditions highlights their potential, but a penalty for Sainz would have significantly hampered their race strategy and given rivals an advantage. The FIA's swift decision ensures the starting grid remains as decided on track, maintaining the integrity of the qualifying results and setting up an exciting race with Sainz starting near the front.

The details:

• Sainz qualified an impressive third, behind polesitter Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, in a challenging, rain-affected Q1 session.
• During Q1, Sainz made an error and went straight on at Turn 5, a 90-degree right-hander, in the difficult conditions.
• Upon rejoining the track, Sainz had a close call with Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, prompting an investigation for allegedly rejoining unsafely.
• The FIA stewards heard from both Sainz and team representatives from Williams and Aston Martin.
• Aston Martin's perspective: The Aston Martin representative stated that Stroll did not consider Sainz's maneuver unsafe and that the rejoin did not cause any issues.
• Sainz's defense: Sainz explained he was trying to minimize the duration of the yellow flag he generated and rejoin as safely as possible, noting the poor visibility and that many drivers were struggling for grip on build-up laps.
• Stewards' Verdict: