Carlos Sainz reveals FIA conversations: ‘They warned us’

Carlos Sainz revealed that conversations took place with the FIA on media day ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, where the drivers were "warned" a cautious approach would be taken. 

Motorsport's world governing body received much criticism following the Belgian GP, where an 80-minute delay took place due to multiple rain showers. 

The race was red-flagged during the initial formation lap as a result of poor visibility, before four laps behind the safety car were conducted prior to green flag running. When racing got underway, the circuit had almost dried. 

Some of the paddock, including Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, voiced their complaints over the delay to the media; however, as confirmed by Sainz, the drivers knew it would happen. 

Whilst the Spaniard was equally frustrated by what occurred at Spa-Francorchamps, the FIA communicated to the drivers ahead of the event that no unnecessary risks would be taken.

"I always thought Formula 1 should almost like, if possible, innovate and try something different," Sainz told select media, including RacingNews365. 

"And I think there's certain kind of tarmacs that if you would put them [the cars] on a straight line, there would be no spray, and they exist. But most circuits don't have it. In the end, the biggest problem for us is visibility, it's what keeps us from racing. 

"I think Spa is a very particular case where there's been a very dark past at this track, and the FIA consciously took a very conservative approach, and they warned us on Thursday that they would take a very conservative approach. 

"Maybe we should have done a better job in communicating that, or they should have communicated to the fans, to the world, we're going to play it very easy because of its dark past, and this is what happened in the past and why we're going to play it safe on Sunday. Just for everyone, maybe to have a bit more awareness."

FIA 'responsible' for driver safety

Sainz does believe the 80-minute delay and four laps behind the safety car were both too much, although does understand why it was done. 

As outlined by the Williams driver, it is the race director in control of the safety of the drivers, and would, ultimately, be responsible if a huge accident unfolded due to the race being restarted too soon.

"But yeah, I do think we could have, obviously, raced a bit earlier than what we did, and got going a bit earlier after the red flag, and the safety car could have lasted a bit less," added Sainz. 

"But you also need to put yourself in the shoes of the people that press the button to say, 'Go', and then there's a massive accident because of a lack of visibility, and something fatal could happen. 

"They are, in the end, responsible for that situation to occur, if you press the button. So I understand also the conservative approach they took, even though, as a racing driver, I wish we could have raced a bit earlier."