The FIA have announced their verdict following an incident involving Carlos Sainz at the Italian Grand Prix.
Sainz will compete at the Italian GP this year for the last time as a Ferrari driver, after it was announced that he will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton for next season.
However, a win may be a tall order for Sainz, with Ferrari falling behind their rivals in recent races, as Mercedes and McLaren have produced upgrades that have allowed them to regularly take the fight to Red Bull.
Moreover, Sainz found himself a little too close to the rear of Kevin Magnussen’sHaas during FP1, an incident that caught the attention of the FIA.
Magnussen was summoned to see the stewards after FP1 for allegedly impeding the Ferrari star at Turn 7 - the second Lesmo corner.
The stewards have reached a verdict regarding the incident, confirming that Magnussen did impede Sainz, with Haas fined €7,500 as a result.
Magnussen was given no warning by Haas via team radio that Sainz was approaching, and could not see the Ferrari in his mirrors.
Sainz further confirmed that the situation was ‘not dangerous’, however the stewards deemed that it was obvious his Ferrari was approaching, and that Haas should have made Magnussen aware.
Whilst a formal warning would usually be given in this situation, the nature of the track and the fact Magnussen could not see Sainz approaching, made the stewards feel that a warning was not deserved.
Furthermore, because the incident was not deemed to be dangerous, the financial penalty imposed on Haas has been halved.