Carlos Sainz Handed Grid Penalty After Las Vegas Manhole Cover Incident

The penalty stems from the number of parts needing replaced on Sainz’s car, including the internal combustion engine (ICE) and control electronics (CE), which necessitated that the Spaniard’s team use their fifth ICE and third CE units of the season. This put the No. 55 team one unit over the allocated limit per driver for the season.

Sainz’s official website released a statement regarding his exploits on the day and addressing the penalty.

“I honestly cannot understand it and I think an exemption to the rule should have been considered given what happened,” the statement said. “But we’ll have to deal with it.”

The unusual circumstances leading to the repairs and subsequent penalty were addressed by the FIA stewards, who have been reported by Motorsport to have spent two hours trying to find a penalty-free solution to the situation. Ultimately, however, it was determined that the rules do not allow for considerations based on extenuating circumstances.

The second practice session was considerably delayed to allow track repairs to be made, which allowed Ferrari to complete necessary repairs on the No. 55 car and get their driver back on track for an extended FP2. Sainz finished the session second-fastest behind teammate Charles Leclerc and ahead of fellow countryman Fernando Alonso.