Williams received a €5,000 fine after Carlos Sainz encountered an unusual problem during Qatar Grand Prix qualifying
Photo: X/Atlassian Williams Racing
Shortly after leaving the pits, Sainz reported on the radio that he felt something similar to “plastic in the tyres”. Minutes later, the team discovered that the sticker placed on the bottom of the car had come off, weakening the driver’s control of the track. After analyzing videos and radios and listening to team representatives, stewards concluded that Sainz had great difficulty driving the car, which constituted a dangerous situation. Although Williams explained that it has been using this type of sticker since the middle of the season without recording any malfunctions, inspectors stressed that it is up to the team to ensure that the car leaves the pits in safe conditions.
Knowing that this did not happen, the fine was applied and the driver was not subjected to a sporting penalty (loss of position on the starting grid).