Carlos Sainz has been fined heavily by the stewards at the Japanese Grand Prix for a bizarre violation of the FIA’s F1 sporting regulations.
The Spanish driver was found guilty of being late for the start of the national anthem prior to the race in Suzuka, which violated Article 19.4 b).
The FIA notified him that he would be “fined €20,000 of which €10,000 is suspended for a period of 12 months subject to there being no further breach of the above Article 19.4.b) during that period.”
The national anthem is played 46 minutes past the hour before the race begins, yet Sainz was late.
However, his sanction is substantially lower than the rule book requires, since the FIA accepts a mitigating factor for the Williams driver.
“Penalty Guidelines prescribed in Appendix B of the FIA International Sporting Code list a penalty for this offence of €60,000,” the official verdict document noted.
“However, in mitigation, the Driver indicated that immediately prior to the Anthem, he experienced difficulty as a result of a stomach condition, which delayed his entrance on the grid. Dr. Messina of Med-Ex confirmed the situation and indicated that he had provided appropriate medication for the driver.”
