The Las Vegas Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen become a four-time world champion by finishing ahead of Lando Norris. However, another major talking point was about Carlos Sainz. The Ferrari driver finished third but the Spaniard did something rarely seen in F1.
Sainz looked as if he was heading into the pits with Lewis Hamilton following him in. However, Sainz crossed the pit line to continue round for another lap. Lewis Hamilton was straight on the radio asking for a penalty which never came. But why not?
Why did Carlos Sainz get away with crossing the pit lane?
Carlos Sainz was due to pit on lap 28 along with Lewis Hamilton. However, the team was ready for him once he had committed. The 30-year-old decided the best course of action was to stay on track and go round again. This left him crossing the pit entry line.
Chaos on track! 🫣
The Ferrari drivers swap as Carlos looks to pit, but crosses the white line at pit entry as he’s told to stay out! 👇 pic.twitter.com/DKRL4hekR9
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 24, 2024
The reason Sainz wasn’t punished was that crossing the pit entry line was not illegal according to the rulebook. In certain races like in Baku this season, the race director can instruct the drivers not to cross the pit entry line. However, in Las Vegas, the directive was never given. So by the book, Sainz should not have been given a penalty.
After the race, Ferrari team principal explained explained Sainz didn’t get a penalty because it was treated as track limits, so Sainz got a strike against his name. This allowed the Spaniard to keep his place on the podium.
What happened other times drivers crossed the pit entry line?
An incident like the Sainz pit entry case is rare in F1. However, it has happened before. Back in 2013, Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was handed a penalty for continuously crossing the pit entry line at the Brazilian Grand Prix. All drivers had been instructed by the race director not to and so Massa was penalised.
At the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez were battling on track. Towards the end of the lap, the pair clashed and Hamilton squeezed Perez into the pit entry. The Mexican rejoined the track to keep the position. Checo wasn’t punished as there was nowhere else for him to go.
Hamilton and Perez served up a treat with this mini battle 🍿#TurkishGP 🇹🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/jOTcurRWue
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 10, 2021
Certain tracks like the Red Bull Ring in Austria have the racing line cross the pit entry line. The circuit has an exception as all drivers would be punished every lap. Other tracks like Baku have clear instructions that the pit entry is not part of the track. Penalties like Massa’s are down to the race director meaning Sainz was right not to be penalised.
