After Friday’s F1 Las Vegas GP Qualifying session, the stewards summoned several drivers and teams for investigation. They cleared Carlos Sainz and Mercedes with no further action, but fined Alpine for failing to electronically register the return of their tyres, a required step under FIA Sporting Regulations.
Sainz for allegedly re-joining the track unsafely
During Q1 at the F1 Las Vegas GP Qualifying session, light rain continued to affect track conditions when Sainz ran wide at Turn 5 and re-joined the circuit as Lance Stroll approached. The stewards investigated the moment as a potential unsafe re-join and called both drivers, along with representatives from Williams and Aston Martin, to provide their accounts.
After reviewing onboard footage and taking statements from both sides, the stewards decided to take no further action.
In their decision, they noted:
“The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 55 (Carlos Sainz), and team representatives of Cars 55 and 18 and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, and in-car video evidence. The team representative of Car 18 stated that the rejoining of Car 55 did not cause any issue to the driver of Car 18 and stated that his driver did not consider the manoeuvre to be unsafe on the part of the driver of Car 55.”
“In view of the above and the poor visibility due to the adverse weather conditions, plus the presence of yellow flags, we determine to take no further action.”
Mercedes summoned with no further action
Stewards summoned Mercedes after the team failed to electronically submit the setup sheets for George Russell and Kimi Antonelli within the mandated timeframe during Friday’s F1 Las Vegas GP Qualifying session. The issue triggered a formal review under Article 40.1 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations, requiring team representatives to attend a hearing and provide clarification.
After examining the submission data and circumstances surrounding the delay, the stewards concluded that the lapse did not warrant a penalty. As a result, they closed the investigation with no further action taken against Mercedes or either driver.
In their ruling, the stewards clarified:
“Although the FIA did not receive the setup sheet electronically in the specified time, the team was able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Stewards, with copies of the relevant emails, that the sheet had been emailed to the appropriate FIA department but due to some IT security issue it was not received in the specified time.”
Alpine fined
Alpine failed to electronically register the return of their tyres following Qualifying at the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. As a result, the stewards fined the team €5,000 for breaching Article 30.5(g) of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations.
The stewards explained:
“The Stewards heard from the team representative of Car 43 (Franco Colapinto). Although the tyres were returned physically, there is still a responsibility to electronically lodge their return with the FIA, and this was not done.”
