Carlos Sainz incident: FIA considering to not issue penalties for component changes | F1 Las Vegas GP. FIA may not give penalties for component changes amid FP1 incidents in F1 Las Vegas GP.

After the chaos from the first free practice session for the 2023 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, the federation might decide not to penalize the two drivers involved in the incident with the manhole cover, requiring them to replace several components on their cars.

A Dramatic Start
The FP1 session in Las Vegas lasted only a few minutes due to the disaster that primarily affected Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari SF-23 and, to some extent, Esteban Ocon’s Alpine. The two cars had to deal with a poorly secured manhole cover that heavily damaged their respective single-seaters, forcing the mechanics of both teams to undertake repairs that were anything but quick.

The FIA technical delegate informed the stewards that Ferrari had to change the chassis, ICE, ES, and CE on the Spanish driver’s car. Alpine, on the other hand, only needed to replace the chassis on the A523. However, the emerging hypothesis, reported by journalist Chris Medland, is that the federation may decide to grant a ‘dispensation’ to the two teams to replace the necessary components on the two cars without incurring the penalties that would normally be expected for this type of repair, including the ‘classic’ grid-place penalties.

Possible Exemption
In the official document produced by the FIA, as is customary in these situations, it was explicitly stated that the incidents were caused “by the impact with a foreign object on the track.” This could pave the way for an exemption from the traditional procedure.

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It would be a small consolation for the two drivers and their respective teams, who have already seen their weekend significantly compromised after just setting their wheels on the famous – but already infamous for Formula 1 – Las Vegas Strip.