Carlos Sainz has been stripped of his top-10 qualifying result at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after stewards handed him a five-place grid penalty for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags. The Williams driver, who had qualified ninth, will now start Saturday's race from 14th, below team-mate Alex Albon.
The penalty follows an investigation into an alleged yellow flags infringement in qualifying. Stewards also added two penalty points to Sainz's licence.
Stewards' explanation
In their decision, the stewards wrote: "Single yellow flags were displayed in Marshalling Sectors 4 and 5, in particular after turn 2 and on the approach to turn 3. The yellow indications were clearly visible and Sainz had also received a radio warning from the team. Sainz confirmed at the hearing that he was aware of the yellow flag situation."
Sainz explained that he intended to demonstrate a reduction in speed across the yellow area as a whole, stating that he did not consider it necessary to reduce speed on the straight and instead intended to demonstrate his response when approaching and exiting turn 3. He considered this to be a 'global lift' covering the consecutive yellow sectors.
He further explained that the car which had originally caused the yellow was no longer in the run-off area and that he expected the yellow flags to be withdrawn. The stewards did not accept this interpretation.
Telemetry evidence
"Where consecutive marshalling sectors are subject to yellow flag conditions, a driver must demonstrate a significant reaction to reduce speed in each individual yellow marshalling sector," the stewards added. "A reduction in a subsequent sector cannot retrospectively satisfy the requirement applicable to the preceding yellow sector. The obligation is also not dependent on the driver's own assessment of whether the original hazard remains present within a particular part of the yellow sector."
The telemetry clearly showed that Sainz's reaction to the yellow occurred only in Marshalling Sector 5, with no meaningful reduction in speed in Marshalling Sector 4. Indeed, Sainz recorded his fastest time of the session in Marshalling Sector 4.
The stewards therefore determined that Sainz failed to sufficiently reduce speed under the Single Yellow Flag in Marshalling Sector 4, applying the standard penalty for this infringement during qualifying of a drop of five grid positions.
Perez also penalised
Sergio Perez has also been given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri in Q1. The stewards felt he was driving unnecessarily slowly on the racing line towards the end of the lap when the McLaren driver was forced to lift off the throttle and change direction by the positioning of the Cadillac.
The only person Perez qualified in front of who is not serving a back-of-grid penalty was Valtteri Bottas, and so he will slip behind his team-mate in the starting order for Saturday's race.
George Russell took pole position with a lap more than 0.8 seconds quicker than his nearest challenger, Charles Leclerc – the largest pole margin Formula One has seen since the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix.
