Carlos Sainz protests with Formula 1: “No more deleting laps for track limits”

The controversy over qualifying in Austria is also about track limits.

Carlos Sainz protests with Formula 1. Friday at the Red Bull Ring was marked by qualifying ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, and by numerous interventions by the management over track limits. These are the times when various drivers exceeded the track’s regulation path, with the timed times of the laps in question being cancelled as invalid.

“In my opinion, you shouldn’t cancel laps where you overstep the limits of the track but gain nothing,” Sainz complained at the press conference. “Then for me there was the problem of timeliness in the decisions. They had cancelled a lap for me. Then they gave it back to me, but meanwhile I had already used an additional set of new tires.”

Now Sainz puts Saturday’s qualifying in his sights ahead of the Sprint Race. “In mixed weather conditions we will have a chance. If there is dry, however, I will have to start Q3 with used tires. This is because of the track limits problem,” the Ferrari Spaniard pointed out.