Ferrari Team Principal 'Right To Be Angry' Following Sainz FP1 Incident Says Brundle

Friday, 17 November 2023 at 21:00

Sky Sports co-commentator and former F1 driver Martin Brudle commented on the situation with the unlucky Ferrari incident in FP1 of the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Carlos Sainz had to stop on the side of the track nine minutes into the FP1 session at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit after damaging his car with a loose manhole cover.

The damage caused to his car was completely outside of the team's or driver's control. Therefore, Ferrari hoped they could replace damaged parts without being penalized for the race.

However, FIA already released a decision document saying the regulations have to be followed notwithstanding the outside circumstances that caused the unlucky incident, and regular penalties will be applied as a consequence.

Ferrari's team principal showed his disappointment with the whole situation when he told the media after the Free Practice one, "It’s just unacceptable."

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2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix - Free Practice 1 Results

According to Vasseur, the monocoque, the engine, and the battery on Sainz's car have been completely damaged due to the incident. Martin Brudle told Sky Sports:

"He has the right to be angry. Under these cost cap regulations, we are here at a track where Ferrari fancy their chances, especially with Carlos Sainz, and they have a broken chassis, broken engine and no mileage."

Not only will it cost Ferrari large sums of money and valuable time, but Sainz will be penalized for every part that will be replaced on his car outside of allocation.

These are quite controversial and unlucky circumstances for the Italian team who hoped for a strong weekend at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Brundle added:

"Even if we run again tonight, that Ferrari is not going to run. Vasseur is not going to be very keen to hear how good the event is."

Ferrari wanted to challenge Mercedes for second place in the Championship this weekend, however, these unfortunate circumstances set one of their drivers on the back foot going into the rest of this weekend.