According to some, there was almost an agreement among the F1 teams not to give Carlos Sainz a grid penalty for replacing parts on his car after the manhole cover incident. However, one team would have been in the way.
After the manhole cover incident during the first practice session, Ferrari had to replace many parts on Carlos Sainz’s F1 car. This also included the energy storage system, which led to a grid penalty of ten places. After all, Sainz already used the maximum number of copies of the system.
However, there would have been a consensus among almost all teams that this was an exceptional situation and Sainz should not be punished, because the damage to his Ferrari was caused by a serious problem with the circuit. Nine teams would have voted for an exemption from punishment, but one team would have voted against, said David Croft of ‘Sky Sports’.
During a broadcast of ‘Sky Sports’, McLaren CEO Zak Brawn is asked the question and he answers: “Yes, it is a shame. We know what Formula 1 is like, there is a lot of self-interest from time to time. I don’t know who it was but probably someone fighting against them. It’s a bit unfair.”
With this, Brawn seems to confirm the story and it is immediately reminiscent of Mercedes, which is currently battling Ferrari for second place in the constructors’ championship. At Mercedes, however, they deny to Ted Kravitz that, according to them, there would have been no vote: “Mercedes states that they were not able to obstruct at all. That could only have happened if a punishment had been applied incorrectly.”
Also read: Ferrari submits request, but stewards still give Carlos Sainz a grid penalty after an incident with a manhole cover: We have no choice