The Spanish Grand Prix qualifying result has been changed just hours before the race is set to get underway. Formula One has returned to Madrid for the first time since the 1980s, with what is the final race on European soil this season.
A brand new track has been built for the event, but it was a welcome return to the top of the pile for Lando Norris, who has endured a season to forget so far. Last season’s world champion was fastest in qualifying, with championship leader Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen just behind.
Sainz handed three-place grid penalty
But for Carlos Sainz, on what should have been a special weekend in his home city, the Spaniard was handed a three-place penalty for impeding Valtteri Bottas on his final run. Such was his disappointing performance in qualifying that Sainz dropped to 20th on the grid, with Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez, and Bottas all leapfrogging the ex-Ferrari man.
The stewards said: "The team failed to inform the driver of Car 55 about Car 77 closing in on a flying lap, and the driver did not take any action to make way for the incoming car. The Stewards determine that Car 55 unnecessarily impeded Car 77."
Leclerc escapes punishment
Meanwhile, Sainz added: "Not a very clean session, two or three issues that cost us probably there at the end, five milliseconds to get through to Q2. A combination of just lacking a bit of performance on the straights. After looking at that lap, a couple of tenths.
"Then going very early for the last run and also impeding Valtteri, I just heard we impeded him without any notice from the pit wall. Not our cleanest session. Still did a pretty good lap but unfortunately not enough to make it through to Q2."
Elsewhere, Charles Leclerc also found himself in hot water, although the Ferrari man was able to escape a penalty. Having crashed out of the Italian Grand Prix last weekend, Leclerc suffered a reprimand for failing to follow race directors’ instructions.
The Monegasque had returned to the pits after completing his final timed lap in Q3, but exceeded the prescribed time limit between the safety car lines. Ferrari acknowledged that Leclerc was given the wrong delta-time profile due to a miscalculation, meaning the stewards determined the driver wasn’t exclusively at fault, and handed the constructor the sanction.
