Date set for Williams right of review for Sainz Dutch GP penalty

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The FIA’s Dutch Grand Prix stewards will meet this Friday to consider Williams’ petition for a right of review into Carlos Sainz’s penalty at Zandvoort.

The hearing, scheduled for 15:30 CEST and conducted virtually, could reopen one of the most debated incidents of the season.

Sainz was penalised with a 10-second time penalty and two penalty points on his licence after colliding with Liam Lawson during a Safety Car restart at Turn 1 in Zandvoort. The Spaniard attempted a move on the outside, but contact left both cars carrying damage.

The stewards laid the blame on Sainz, but Williams filed a petition for review on September 4 – just before the Italian Grand Prix weekend – in defence of their rookie Lawson.

According to FIA procedure, Friday’s session will unfold in two stages.

First, Williams must present “a significant and relevant new element which was unavailable to the party seeking the review at the time of the decision concerned.”

If the stewards agree, the case will be reopened, with Racing Bulls representatives also called to attend.

Vowles: “That, for me, is a racing incident”

Speaking in Monza last weekend, Williams team principal James Vowles made clear why the team believes the original penalty should be reconsidered.

“For me, if you look onboard from Lawson, not from Carlos, you’ll see that his head is completely in the mirrors,” Vowles told Sky F1.

“He’s not looking straight ahead. He’s looking in the mirror at that point in time. And as the car washes out, it gets into the turbulent flow of the Ferrari, and he snaps, so you can see it there onboard from Carlos.

“But the car doesn’t move laterally in a smooth way of opening the wheel. It fundamentally snaps a meter across the track into Carlos.”

Vowles stressed that the moment was far from a deliberate offence.

“That, for me, is a racing incident. Lawson didn’t intend on hitting Carlos,” he said. “Also, Carlos wasn’t doing anything more than putting the car there, waiting for the moment, pushing Lawson offside, then to get back in underneath him again.”

Push for Consistency

Beyond the immediate result, Vowles underlined that the case is about setting a clear precedent.

“What’s important for me is there’s two points on Carlos’ licence,” he noted. “But more importantly, I’d like to have just a straightforward conversation so we all know how to go racing in the future.

“If this is deemed this is how we go racing, then at least we have clarity over that.”

The outcome of Friday’s hearing could determine not only Sainz’s penalty status but also the standards of judgment that drivers and teams must follow in similar wheel-to-wheel battles.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.