Sainz wants automatic grid penalty for qualifying yellows

Carlos Sainz wants an automatic grid penalty for any driver who triggers a qualifying yellow flag - but Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc aren't convinced it's the right fix.

The fallout from Formula 1's controversial yellow-flag handling in Austrian GP qualifying is continuing, with Carlos Sainz proposing an automatic penalty for drivers who trigger the incident.

Mercedes' George Russell kept pole position after correctly following the regulations under a single yellow following Max Verstappen's Red Bull crash, but many drivers and observers argued the FIA should instead have deployed double yellow flags or a red flag.

Sainz, a director of the GPDA, now believes the rules themselves need changing. "I have an idea myself, which has not yet been discussed by the GPDA," the Williams driver said.

"I will possibly raise this and then we can see if we can apply this. It is clear to me that that situation should have led to a double yellow flag or a red flag."

He stressed Russell was not to blame.

"The way George dealt with it was perfect when you look at the regulations. He deserved that pole position, because he followed the rules to perfection.

"It should never have been allowed for him to be allowed to do that lap in such a dangerous situation."

Instead, Sainz believes any driver who causes a qualifying yellow or red flag should automatically receive a three-place grid penalty. "I'm not saying Max did it intentionally," said the Spaniard.

"He had a technical problem and wasn't even in pole position, so he had no reason to do so, but we have to solve these situations."

Verstappen questions the fix

Verstappen agreed changes are needed, although he questioned Sainz's proposed solution. "If someone deliberately crashes, I think the punishment must be even heavier," he said.

"In my case, I couldn't do anything about that crash."

The Dutchman instead pointed to a rule already used elsewhere in motorsport. "In other racing classes, you lose your best lap time if you cause a yellow or red flag.

"It's definitely something to look at."

He also agreed the FIA's handling of the Austrian incident was the bigger issue. "First, it should not have been a single yellow flag, but at least a double yellow flag or a red flag," Verstappen said.

"I probably would have done the same," he added of Russell's decision to complete his lap. It should just not be allowed to finish your lap like this.

"That's the worrying thing in this situation."

Leclerc and Alesi push back

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc also opposed an automatic penalty.

"The person who ends up in the wall already pays quite a price," he said.

"That driver does not finish his lap, while that lap might have been good enough for a strong starting position. I don't think it should be a general rule.

"But on some circuits it is something we have talked about as drivers."

F1 legend Jean Alesi, meanwhile, criticised race control rather than Russell or Verstappen.

"That no red flag was waved while there was a crashed car along the side of the track, gives me goosebumps," he told Corriere della Sera.

"It is a terrible message to everyone who races in Formula 1, especially to the younger drivers. It's not about adapting to the attitude of the race management, but about demanding that this kind of situation never occur again.

"As if the tragedy with Jules Bianchi never happened. Outrageous."

Austria GP qualifying row snapshot

See also: 2026 F1 calendar on F1-Fansite.

Related: Russell wins Austria amid yellow flag storm

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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