After hearing several parties, the stewards have rejected Aston Martin’s protest against the result of qualifying, and in particular the further participation of Carlos Sainz after his ‘crash’ in Q2.
The Aston Martin F1 team lodged a protest because it believed that Carlos Sainz had stalled after his crash during Q2 and should therefore no longer have been allowed to participate under F1 rules. However, Sainz drove back to Ferrari’s garage independently, and without help from external parties.
Aston Martin found that rule 39.6 of the sporting regulations had been violated. This rule states that a driver may not continue to participate if a driver’s car has come to a standstill during a qualifying session. After a hearing with Aston Martin and several other team managers and FIA representatives, the stewards decided to reject Aston Martin’s protest.
There have been several similar ‘incidents’ in the past where no other team lodged a protest. In addition, according to the stewards, the word ‘standstill’ could be interpreted in different ways, a discussion about which it was already agreed last year during the Belgian GP race weekend that ‘outside assistance’ should be added to the rule in question.
Due to the various precedents, as well as the wording in question, the stewards decided that no penalty should be imposed.
Astons protest rejected
Detailed explanation here that really helps us understand why https://t.co/jA3O0rHnBH
— Will Buxton (@wbuxtonofficial) April 20, 2024