Sainz went off the road in Q1 at Turn 5 and was seen returning to the track ahead of Stroll. The stewards decided to investigate after the wet qualifying session in Las Vegas.
Advertisement
Although both drivers progressed in Q1, they enjoyed different fortunes thereafter: Stroll’s gamble on the intermediate tire during Q2 did not pay off and the Canadian could only finish the session 12th, while Sainz briefly held provisional pole before being overtaken by Max Verstappen.
The two were then beaten by Lando Norris’ pole lap, pushing Sainz down to third in the order.
The stewards pointed out the incident in reference to an alleged violation of article 33.3 of the Formula 1 sporting regulations, which states that “if a car leaves the track, the driver may rejoin, but may only do so when it is safe to do so and without obtaining any lasting advantage.”
Advertisement
Carlos Sainz, Williams, Zak Brown, McLaren
If Sainz is found to have transgressed that regulation, this is likely to be accompanied by a grid penalty.
Sainz’s teammate Alex Albon looked set to join his teammate until Q2, but his crash at the end of the initial phase of qualifying ensured that Sainz was the only Williams driver to advance beyond Q1.
Also read:
Mercedes summoned the stewards of the F1 Las Vegas GP
F1 GP in Las Vegas: Lando Norris takes pole, Oscar Piastri drops to fifth place
To read more articles from Motorsport.com visit our website.