If you watched the Las Vegas Grand Prix, you may have noticed Carlos Sainz’s incident in the pitlane. He crossed the white line that separates the track from the pit entry/exit lanes, which is technically prohibited by the regulations.
A rather odd moment, but surprisingly, it was never penalized. So, why this unexpected decision from the race stewards? Let’s break it down together.
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A slightly blurry rule in the pitlane entry
During his second pit stop, Carlos Sainz took a rather unusual path. Although he crossed the white line separating the track from the pitlane, he didn’t actually break the rules. The key detail here is that, even though Sainz crossed the line, he didn’t actually commit to entering the pitlane. Instead, he continued on for another lap, making the situation much less straightforward for the stewards to evaluate. In F1, the rule is simple: an F1 car must not cross the white line before entering the pits. However, if a driver only deviates momentarily without entering the pit area, no penalty applies. That’s exactly what happened at the Las Vegas GP, where Carlos Sainz didn’t cross into the pit threshold, thus avoiding any sanction, even though the maneuver looked a bit messy to viewers.
Radio communication: a decisive factor
Another layer of confusion during this incident came from the radio communication between Sainz and his team. Scuderia Ferrari hadn’t planned for him to pit at that moment, but a delayed message threw off the timing. The result: the Spanish driver opted to stay out for another lap, a choice that wasn’t ideal. As Sainz explained, this strategic error and the lost time from the radio miscommunication compromised his race, even though he managed to secure a third-place finish on the podium. Sainz also mentioned after the race that this poor handling of the pit stops prevented him from directly battling the Mercedes cars, particularly Hamilton. “This is a sport where every detail matters,” he commented. With small missteps like this, a race can quickly shift. Fortunately, he and his team minimized the damage.
The role of race control and regulations
So, why wasn’t an investigation launched? Simply because no specific directive regarding pitlane entry was issued for the Las Vegas circuit. By comparison, at tracks like Baku, the rules are far stricter and well-defined. But in Las Vegas, the decision not to penalize was based on the fact that Sainz never physically entered the pitlane after crossing the line. On the other hand, if the driver had crossed that line and entered the pitlane for a tire change, he would have been penalized, as seen with other drivers this season, like Hamilton and Albon at the Austrian GP. The Red Bull Ring, in fact, is a circuit heavily impacted by track limits and line-crossing issues. In this case, a technicality in the rules allowed Sainz to avoid a penalty, all in the context of an already chaotic weekend for Ferrari at the Las Vegas GP.
This article explores an incident from the Las Vegas race where Carlos Sainz avoided an investigation after crossing the pitlane entry line. While the maneuver raised questions, a vague rule and confusing timing between the driver and his team tipped the scales in his favor. This situation highlights how every detail can influence the outcome of an F1 race and serves as a reminder of how critical communication and pitstop management are.
Images: Scuderia Ferrari Media gallery
