Latest news with #InternationalSportingCode
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Carlos Sainz penalty statement issued after breaking same rule as Oliver Bearman
Oliver Bearman was handed a 10-place grid penalty at the Monaco Grand Prix for overtaking in red flag conditions during practice, but Carlos Sainz escaped punishment for doing so The Monaco Grand Prix stewards have explained why Carlos Sainz was not punished despite breaking the same rule as Oliver Bearman. The Brit's weekend has already been ruined by a whopping 10-place grid penalty, handed to him after he was found guilty of overtaking under red flag conditions. Such a move is seen as being highly dangerous and Bearman was duly punished for doing it in practice on Friday. And it seemed a similar punishment might have been heading Sainz's way after the Williams driver was reported for doing the same thing. But after investigating what happened, the stewards have decided against punishing the Spaniard. That is despite them concluding that he did indeed overtake Franco Colapinto under red flag conditions during practice. However, explaining their decision, the stewards pointed out how the circumstances were very different. While they felt Bearman should have reacted sooner to slow down, they concluded that Sainz did not have the time to avoid overtaking the Alpine of Colapinto. The officials said: "Car 55 [Sainz] overtook Car 43 [Colapinto] at turn two. As Car 55 was going towards turn two, the session was red flagged. Car 55 was very close to Car 43 when that happened (42 metres). "Car 55 was travelling at a significant speed, in excess of 250kph. Car 43, on the other hand, was on a slow lap on the left hand side of the track. As soon as the red flag was shown, Car 55 took immediate steps to slow down in a safe manner as required under Article 2.5.4.1 b) of Appendix H to the International Sporting Code. "There was a significant speed delta between the two cars and the overtake was an inevitable consequence of that speed delta and the distance between the cars. In the circumstances, we took no further action." In Bearman's case, however, the stewards found that there was "no mitigating factor" as the Haas driver had elected not to slow down straight away as soon as he saw the red flashing light, claiming that he had felt it would have been more dangerous to do so in the circumstances. But the stewards did not agree and said: "The regulations require the drivers to 'immediately' reduce speed and proceed slowly back to their respective pits (Article 2.5.4.1 b)). The same regulations caution drivers of the fact that in a red flag situation, 'overtaking is forbidden' and that drivers should 'remember that race and service vehicles may be on the track'. "We disagreed with his decision to not take steps to slow down sufficiently to avoid overtaking another car and instead proceeding slowly back to the pits, as required. The whole purpose of requiring drivers to slow down immediately is for safety – they will not know what is in front of them or the reason for the red flag being shown. This is particularly so in a track like Monaco."
Newsweek
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
F1 Driver's Imola Qualifying Goes From Bad To Worse After Penalty And Crash
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Alpine Formula 1 driver Franco Colapinto has been hit with a grid penalty following qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which he crashed out of. The Argentinian driver was the second to crash during qualifying after Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda also suffered a horrific crash which saw his RB21 flip in the air. Thankfully, both drivers were okay and were cleared by the medical center. However, Colapinto has now been hit with a one-place grid penalty after some confusion with his team meant that he entered the fast lane of the pit lane before a re-start time had been confirmed after Tsunoda's crash. Colapinto will now start the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix from 16th on the grid. Oscar Piastri secured pole position and will be joined on the front row by Max Verstappen. Franco Colapinto of Argentina and Alpine F1 arrives in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari on May 15, 2025 in Imola, Italy. Franco Colapinto of Argentina and Alpine F1 arrives in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari on May 15, 2025 in Imola, did the FIA say? The official letter from the Stewards states: "Fact: Entering fast lane in the pit lane before a re-start time was confirmed. "Infringement: Breach of Article 12.2.1 i) of the International Sporting Code and non-compliance with Race Director's Event Note (item 17, document 4). "Decision: Drop of 1 grid position for the next Race in which the driver participates. "Reason: The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 43 (Franco Colapinto), team representative and reviewed video, team radio and in-car video evidence and determined as follows: "The team representative stated that he gave the instruction for the car to creep out but not be fully released. The driver misunderstood the instruction and entered the fast lane before the re-start time was officially confirmed in breach of the Race Director's event notes. Once this was done, it was too late to reverse course and the team instructed the driver to proceed down the pit lane. "The team argued that there was no sporting advantage gained in this case as there was sufficient time remaining for other teams to perform their run plans as this was the start of the session. The team representative and the driver apologised for the inadvertent breach. "The Stewards consider that this breach was inadvertent but it did require a sporting penalty to be imposed. However as the breach was unintentional and this did not result in any sporting advantage, we decided to impose a one position grid penalty. "A similar breach in different circumstances, could entail a more severe sporting penalty, in future."
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Sebastien Ogier throws support behind possible Carlos Sainz Sr FIA presidency bid
Sebastien Ogier has voiced support for Carlos Sainz Sr should the World Rally Championship legend decide to run for FIA president. As revealed by last week, two-time WRC champion Sainz Sr is seriously considering whether to formally stand for election against Mohammed Ben Sulayem in the race to become FIA president. Sainz Sr is gauging his level of support from the FIA's member automotive clubs before making a final decision. Advertisement The news of Sainz Sr's potential presidency bid follows another high-profile WRC figure in M-Sport-Ford founder Malcolm Wilson being nominated by Ben Sulayem to take over the governing body's deputy president for sport role, recently vacated by 2001 WRC co-driver champion Robert Reid. Interestingly, Sainz Sr drove for M-Sport in WRC (1996-1997 and 2000-2002) before returning to the operation that runs the factory Ford Rally-Raid programme last year. When asked about the possibility of Sainz Sr considering running from FIA president, Ogier was among a group of WRC drivers that indicated their support for Sainz. 'The only thing I can say is I have always had massive respect for Carlos and I like him a lot as a person as well,' Ogier told at Rally Portugal. 'If I'm honest I will be happy and will support him running for that if I can. I don't know what kind of power I have, but probably very little. I was happy to read this news, so let's see what happens.' Sébastien Ogier, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Sébastien Ogier, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Racing Toyota Racing Advertisement Hyundai boss Cyril Abiteboul stopped short of offering his support to a potential Sainz run for FIA presidency, but admitted he would welcome an FIA presidency election that has several candidates. 'I think having multiple candidates is a good thing. In any election voters should be given options and given a choice, so I think it is good,' Abiteboul told 'Like our current president, Carlos is coming with a huge rally background and for our sport it is equally as good news as Mohammed Ben Sulayem running for presidency a few years back.' WRC drivers support FIA tweak to swearing penalties The WRC service park in Portugal has also reacted positively to confirmation that the FIA has revised the penalties in Appendix B of its International Sporting Code, reducing the potential fines for drivers caught swearing. Advertisement The improvements come after WRC drivers, through the new World Rally Drivers Alliance (WoRDA), urged the FIA for changes to be implemented after Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux was fined for swearing during a televised stage-end interview at Rally Sweden. 'I haven't read exactly what changed there but it looks like there is some move that is positive and for once all the effort we have done has probably paid off as well,' Ogier said. 'I'm not sure if it is only thanks to WoRDA, but I'm sure WoRDA contributed to that. That's positive.' Read Also: Four big questions as WRC begins its gravel season in Portugal To read more articles visit our website.
CNN
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- CNN
Motorsport's world governing body dials back driver cursing penalties after major outcry
The FIA, motorsport's world governing body, announced on Wednesday a major dialing back of the penalties issued to drivers for cursing after a groundswell of opposition towards the new regulations. In rules introduced by the FIA ahead of the season, F1 drivers could be penalized – with monetary fines or loss of championship points – for cursing in press conferences. Fines started at €40,000 ($41,600) for a driver's first offense, with it doubling for a second breach of the rules as well as a suspended one-month ban. A third offense would potentially bring about a €120,000 ($125,000) fine, a one-month ban and the loss of championship points. But the FIA scaled back those regulations on Wednesday after continued complaints from high-level F1 drivers. Following the amendment of Appendix B in FIA International Sporting Code, the base maximum penalties for drivers will be reduced generally from €10,000 ($11,210) to €5,000 ($5,600) – a reduction of 50% – although 'for FIA World Championships, where multipliers were involved, the reductions will be even more significant,' the governing body said. The FIA also said that stewards can suspend a penalty in certain cases if it's a first offense by a driver or team. Stewards will also be permitted to adjudge whether language was used in 'controlled' or 'uncontrolled' environments to assess whether a penalty is deemed necessary – a 'controlled' environment is defined as a press conferences and an 'uncontrolled' environment is a 'spontaneous comments made by drivers or teams when on track or during a rally stage.' The new guidelines also state that 'abuse of officials will now result in sporting penalties rather than fines, aligning motor sport with other major global sports organizations.' 'As a former rally driver, I know firsthand the range of emotions that are faced during competition. I have led an extensive and collaborative review with contributions from across the seven FIA World Championships, FIA Member Clubs and other motor sports organizations,' FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said. 'The improvements the FIA has announced today to Appendix B will ensure we continue to promote the best of sportsmanship in motor sport, while also giving Stewards effective guidelines to act against individuals who may bring the sport into disrepute. The FIA will always be committed to ensuring motor sport is accessible for all our sporting family.' The original penalties implemented before this season were criticized by many F1 drivers who thought they were excessive. Drivers, including reigning world champion Max Verstappen, also complained about the lack of dialogue between them and the FIA around addressing any issues. Ronan Morgan, president of the drivers' committee, said that the changing of the rules around cursing 'further strengthen the FIA's International Sporting Code supporting our drivers by understanding the pressures they face during the heat of competition.' 'Drivers are looked up to as role models by young fans and are rightly seen as ambassadors for the wider world of motor sport, how they act really does matter but it is important to recognize that there is a difference between what is said during a race and in a press conference,' Morgan said.
CNN
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- CNN
Motorsport's world governing body dials back driver cursing penalties after major outcry
The FIA, motorsport's world governing body, announced on Wednesday a major dialing back of the penalties issued to drivers for cursing after a groundswell of opposition towards the new regulations. In rules introduced by the FIA ahead of the season, F1 drivers could be penalized – with monetary fines or loss of championship points – for cursing in press conferences. Fines started at €40,000 ($41,600) for a driver's first offense, with it doubling for a second breach of the rules as well as a suspended one-month ban. A third offense would potentially bring about a €120,000 ($125,000) fine, a one-month ban and the loss of championship points. But the FIA scaled back those regulations on Wednesday after continued complaints from high-level F1 drivers. Following the amendment of Appendix B in FIA International Sporting Code, the base maximum penalties for drivers will be reduced generally from €10,000 ($11,210) to €5,000 ($5,600) – a reduction of 50% – although 'for FIA World Championships, where multipliers were involved, the reductions will be even more significant,' the governing body said. The FIA also said that stewards can suspend a penalty in certain cases if it's a first offense by a driver or team. Stewards will also be permitted to adjudge whether language was used in 'controlled' or 'uncontrolled' environments to assess whether a penalty is deemed necessary – a 'controlled' environment is defined as a press conferences and an 'uncontrolled' environment is a 'spontaneous comments made by drivers or teams when on track or during a rally stage.' The new guidelines also state that 'abuse of officials will now result in sporting penalties rather than fines, aligning motor sport with other major global sports organizations.' 'As a former rally driver, I know firsthand the range of emotions that are faced during competition. I have led an extensive and collaborative review with contributions from across the seven FIA World Championships, FIA Member Clubs and other motor sports organizations,' FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said. 'The improvements the FIA has announced today to Appendix B will ensure we continue to promote the best of sportsmanship in motor sport, while also giving Stewards effective guidelines to act against individuals who may bring the sport into disrepute. The FIA will always be committed to ensuring motor sport is accessible for all our sporting family.' The original penalties implemented before this season were criticized by many F1 drivers who thought they were excessive. Drivers, including reigning world champion Max Verstappen, also complained about the lack of dialogue between them and the FIA around addressing any issues. Ronan Morgan, president of the drivers' committee, said that the changing of the rules around cursing 'further strengthen the FIA's International Sporting Code supporting our drivers by understanding the pressures they face during the heat of competition.' 'Drivers are looked up to as role models by young fans and are rightly seen as ambassadors for the wider world of motor sport, how they act really does matter but it is important to recognize that there is a difference between what is said during a race and in a press conference,' Morgan said.
