F1 driver was handed incorrect Saudi Arabian GP grid penalty due to 'glitch' in system

The FIA have been forced to rescind a grid penalty for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after it was shown to have been awarded incorrectly.

Last weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix was won by McLaren's Oscar Piastri, with George Russell in second and championship leader Lando Norris in third.

Max Verstappen endured a difficult race, which included braking issues and a slow pit stop, to finish sixth after overtaking Pierre Gasly on the last lap. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, was fifth, having risen from ninth on the grid.

Further down the field, it was a nightmare Grand Prix for Carlos Sainz, who ran as high as sixth early in the race before sliding down the order.

His Williams made contact with Yuki Tsunoda out of turn one on lap 35, with Sainz's car showering debris all over the circuit as a result.

He later explained that the damage cost him 40 to 50 per cent of downforce, with the radiator system inside his car also exposed as a result.

The incident brought out the safety car, and after being given a 10-second penalty for forcing Kimi Antonelli off the track on the restart, Williams decided to retire the Spaniard's car with him running in last place.

After his retirement, the FIA announced that Sainz would be given a three-place grid penalty in Saudi Arabia this weekend as he had failed to serve his sanction during the Bahrain race.

He was also handed two penalty points on his FIA super licence, to take him up to three over a 12-month period.

However, a glitch on the FIA's race control systems meant that the fact Sainz had actually served his penalty didn't register. The system normally flags automatically when penalties have been served during races.

The timing systems went down during the second half of the Grand Prix in Bahrain, with Mercedes' Russell also experiencing faults with his steering wheel dashboard, brake-by-wire system and transponder.

The Brit was investigated for a DRS infringement after the race but the stewards decided to take no action against him.

As for Sainz, the FIA later released clarification that they had rescinded his three-place grid penalty, acknowledging the error on their systems.

A short statement from F1's governing body read: "Penalty was served and should not be converted to a grid position penalty."