Mercedes boss talks about “unfair” Carlos Sainz penalty in Las Vegas GP - “Nobody liked the situation, as a sportsman”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff showed support for Carlos Sainz while speaking about the Las Vegas GP manhole cover incident which involved the Ferrari driver.

Carlos Sainz hit a manhole cover eight minutes into the first Free Practice session of the 2023 Las Vegas GP in November. The Spaniard's SF23 was severely damaged as it sparked flames, effectively ending the session for him.

Despite not being at fault, Carlos Sainz was handed a 10-place grid penalty that weekend for requiring a new energy store due to the power unit damage. The penalty came at a critical time when Ferrari was going toe-to-toe with Mercedes for the runner-up spot in the Constructors' standings.

Eventual runner-up Mercedes' team principal Toto Wolff recently reflected on the events of Las Vegas. Calling out the regulations, he said (via PlanetF1):

"What happened to Carlos was absolutely unfair."

Wolff advocated for a reassessment of the regulations, particularly concerning instances classified as force majeure. He said:

"For me, as a racer, I am the first one to say that he didn’t deserve the outcome. I think we should look at the rules. Force majeure is a difficult one. What happens with kerb strikes? You know, you destroy your car by riding up a kerb? There’s nothing you can do."

The sentiment conveyed by Wolff was that of the majority of the sporting community. He said:

"Nobody liked the situation, as a sportsman. It was unjust what happened to him and ruined the race weekend for him that he maybe could have won. So we’ve got to look and give it a hard think how we can change it."

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Toto Wolff on the moral dilemma in the Carlos Sainz situation in Las Vegas

The Mercedes team principal acknowledged the dilemma faced by team managers, himself included, in adhering to regulations that might seem unjust. He said:

"As a team principal for a rival team that is fighting for P2, I need to look at the scope – I need to look at the regulations and the full scope of possible actions of ourselves in order to finish P2 in the championship."

"If the regulation says so, I need to act for the benefit of the team and the 2500 people," he added. "Because, if we lose the championship by five points because I have acted in sporting fairness and the rules would have allowed me to actually penalise the car – whatever driver – I need to do this."

Reflecting on Carlos Sainz's case, Wolff urged a collective effort to evaluate and potentially amend regulations to avoid similar unjust outcomes in the future. He said:

"I have done that for Carlos and it’s awful. The other way around, I’m not sure whether the exercise was done."