– Williams driver Carlos Sainz was warned after the first Free Practice for the Belgian Grand Prix. According to the official reasoning, the four-time Grand Prix winner crossed the white line at the entrance to the pit lane. But what actually happened?
Read more Abt RS3 630 (2026): Extreme tuning in a 30-unit edition
About 35 minutes before the end of FP1, Sainz wanted to turn into the pit lane. But in his onboard footage, it is clearly visible that the Williams driver shortly after the first safety car line changes his mind, turns left, and returns to the track.
According to the so-called “Race Director’s Event Notes,” Sainz was already in the pit lane at that time and should not have crossed the white line between the track and the pit lane.
Williams team principal James Vowles explained the incident after FP1 on Sky Sports F1 as follows: “It was due to our communication,” he said.
“Carlos had decided to go into the pits. However, the battery […] was almost empty. Actually, it was at zero, which happens at the top of the [previous] hill. That’s why we had to do another lap to recharge it.”
Read more Updates Spa: Racing Bulls has the most technical innovations
“And when the engineer communicated that, there was a slight delay of about 1.5 seconds. At the moment the [message] arrived, Carlos was already at the entrance to the pit lane. So we should have stayed at the entrance to the pit lane and driven through.”
F1: Belgian Grand Prix (Spa) 2026
This explanation also confirms to the race stewards according to the judgment reasoning. In doing so, the Williams driver not only admits that the rule was clearly violated but also that by deciding to return to the track, he wanted to avoid a sporting disadvantage.
Accordingly, although it was not a dangerous situation, a warning was issued. Therefore, there is no penalty point for the Williams driver. In the current list, Sainz, like his teammate Alexander Albon, has two penalty points.
There are no consequences for the further course of the race weekend from this incident. Incidentally, this is the first warning for Sainz in the 2026 season.
Read more Race control for Lewis Hamilton: «Best chance» for Ferrari against Mercedes?
