A historic Formula 1 decision could change the sport forever if one driver gets his way.
Carlos Sainz was left furious at the Dutch Grand Prix earlier this month, when he was handed a 10 second time penalty and two penalty points on his super license. The Williams driver had attempted to overtake Liam Lawson around the outside of the first corner, but he collided with the Kiwi, causing damage to both cars.
Stewards ruled that Lawson 'had the right to the corner' as the Racing Bulls car was ahead at the apex, so Sainz was punished.
Williams were left furious and decided to protest the decision. On Saturday, the stewards agreed to revoke the two penalty points Sainz had been given, although his finishing position did not change, as he had finished more than 10 seconds behind Lawson.
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Although Sainz was delighted with the ruling, the FIA's decision could set a major precedent, potentially opening the door for drivers to appeal stewarding decisions more frequently.
What did Carlos Sainz say about the decision?
Sainz to the spoke to the media about the decision ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan GP.
He said: “It's a breakthrough because it's the first time that I've managed to present new evidence and accept a hearing. We tried before and we never managed in other teams, so it shows that the mechanism is there and is there for a reason, which I'm finally happy that we can use that mechanism in the case where it's black and white like it was in my case.”
The Spaniard has an influence off the track as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, having stepped into the role after Sebastian Vettel's retirement.
The GPDA, which was founded in the 1960s, has fought to improve driver safety. The introduction of the halo head protection device in 2018, which has been credited with protecting several drivers, was a key development.
Speaking to the press, Sainz also said he believes the next step to improving fairness is to replace volunteer stewards with two permanent officials alongside one rotational member.
How did Formula 1 fans react?
Sainz's suggestion of introducing permanent stewards sparked debate on social media.
On Reddit, @The21stPM wrote: "He’s not wrong. We need consistency and that comes with permanent full time stewards.
@2020bowman added: "This sport spends billions per year. Chucking a couple of million into full time professional referees should be obvious and easy."
But not everyone was convinced that permanent stewarding would deliver the results that Sainz expects.
@WearingFin said: "Yeah, but who is going to appoint those permanent members in an MBS ruled FIA?
"What's the process going to be when they have their first unpopular opinion?
"Are we just going to be like soccer with Premier League VARs?"
Topics: FIA, Formula 1, Liam Lawson, Motorsport
James Taylor