Piastri's penalty deemed 'unacceptable', GPDA intends to discuss in Qatar.

      "There is something that isn’t working."

      Carlos Sainz has stated that the recent series of controversial penalties in Formula 1 has reached a "critical" stage, announcing that the GPDA will convene with the FIA in Qatar next weekend to discuss the matter. Upon arriving in Las Vegas, the Spaniard, who serves as a GPDA director, indicated that the ten-second penalty imposed on Oscar Piastri in Brazil will be a significant point of discussion.

      "I find it unacceptable that Oscar received a penalty in Brazil," he expressed to Spanish media. "Anyone who has viewed racing knows it wasn’t Oscar’s fault. Anyone who has ever been in a race car understands he couldn’t have done anything to prevent the accident - yet he still faced a ten-second penalty."

      Sainz remarked that the misunderstanding goes well beyond Interlagos. "I couldn’t comprehend my penalty at Zandvoort, or Bearman’s at Monza, or the penalty I was given in Austin. It hasn’t been just one instance - there have been multiple incidents this year that stray far from what this sport represents."

      The Williams driver contended that the current regulations are being enforced too stringently. "As the rules are written, there’s always someone who will be at fault, even in situations that are clearly racing incidents," he stated. "There is something that isn’t working."

      Sainz also called attention to how stewards handle wheel lock-ups. "Whenever there’s a lock-up, the stewards perceive it as a driver being out of control - and that’s not accurate. You can lock up and still make the corner. Oscar reacted to a maneuver and locked up; I did the same in Austin. That needs to be reevaluated."

      Recently, he has suggested that a potential remedy could be having a permanent panel of stewards, reiterating this proposition on this occasion. "If we had three permanent stewards, with consistent decisions and shared experience, we would all understand each other better. With competent stewards who are well-versed in racing, we wouldn’t require such strict guidelines."

      "There’s a meeting in Qatar to resolve this," he added. "Following what transpired in Brazil, it’s evident that something isn’t functioning correctly."