Carlos Sainz handed rare penalty lap after safety‑car controversy at Silverstone

Williams driver Carlos Sainz was penalised with a one‑lap penalty after the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The FIA stewards determined that, following the safety‑car deployment caused by Max Verstappen’s crash, Sainz overtook the safety car without being listed among the cars authorised to do so. The team’s misinterpretation of the rules and the circuit’s unusual pit‑lane layout led to the confusion. As a result, Sainz’s finish was amended from 12th to 17th place, marking the first time a Formula 1 driver has been given a penalty lap for this infraction.

The stewards noted that although Sainz had been a lap down at the safety‑car line 1 when entering the pits, the specific Silverstone configuration briefly returned him to the lead lap, meaning he was not considered a “lapped car” under Article B5.13.4 c) at the moment the “lapped cars may now overtake” message was displayed. Williams accepted responsibility for two procedural errors – failing to recognise Sainz’s status and overlooking his omission from the authorised list.