Two penalties have impacted the grid for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix on the Strip circuit in Formula 1,which is set to take place tomorrow, with one of them controversially affecting a contender for a potential victory.
As a result of component changes necessitated by his collision with a dislodged water valve cover during the opening practice, which caused extensive damage to his Ferrari’s chassis, combustion engine, battery, and control electronics unit, Carlos Sainz has dropped from second to 12th on the grid. Ferrari sought an exemption to the mandatory penalty, and while the F1 stewards acknowledged the mitigating, unusual, and unfortunate circumstances, they stated they were “obliged” to impose the sanction because “the regulations do not allow” any flexibility.
Carlos Sainz’s demotion places Max Verstappen’s Red Bull on the front row alongside Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, with George Russell’s Mercedes securing a spot in the top three. The impact of the penalty is particularly significant given Ferrari’s dominant pace throughout the weekend.
Lance Stroll is the other recipient of a penalty, dropping from 14th to 19th in his Aston Martin for overtaking Sainz under yellow flags in the final practice. Stroll explained that he had his “head down” looking at his dash and concentrating on the Ferrari ahead, missing the flags. However, the stewards emphasized that, despite the absence of yellow light panels, the regulations are explicit that flags and light panels hold the same meaning.
LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX GRID
1 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
2 Verstappen (Red Bull)
3 Russell (Mercedes)
4 Gasly (Alpine)
5 Albon (Williams)
6 Sargeant (Williams)
7 Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
8 Magnussen (Haas)
9 Alonso (Aston Martin)
10 Hamilton (Mercedes)
11 Perez (Red Bull)
12 Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)*
13 Hulkenberg (Haas)
14 Ricciardo (AlphaTauri)
15 Norris (McLaren)
16 Ocon (Alpine)
17 Zhou (Alfa Romeo)
18 Piastri (McLaren)
19 Stroll (Aston Martin)**
20 Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
* 10-place penalty
** 5-place penalty
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