Carlos Sainz has called for more clarity and consistency from the FIA after Ferrari were hit with a €25,000 fine at the Monaco Grand Prix. The fine came after Sainz was punished for impeding Lance Stroll during a free practice session. He was also given a reprimand that has left him just one warning away from a 10-place grid drop. The stewards determined that Sainz had been fed "a series of grossly incorrect messages, by radio, about the gaps to the cars behind”, leaving him unaware that Stroll was approaching at pace. But the Spaniard has responded by calling for consistency, after he pointed the finger at a slow-travelling Nicholas Latifi for costing him a maiden Grand Prix win.
Sainz: We want more clarity and consistency
Speaking to the media in Monaco, including RacingNews365.com , Sainz interrupted a question aimed at his team boss, Mattia Binotto, to offer his thoughts on the fine. "I cannot count the times that I was impeded at Monaco this weekend, both being dangerous and not dangerous," he said. "What I don't understand is why we were fined €25,000 as a team for impeding, which I accept and I apologised to Lance, but other cases are not investigated and other people are not fined for exactly the same thing." Sainz then pointed to a mid-race incident that he says cost him victory in the Principality when, amid the crucial pit-stop phase, he found himself losing time behind the lapped car of Latifi. "That cost us the race and there was no further action, and that was proper impeding," he argued. "This is where we want more clarity and consistency, it's as simple as that."
Ferrari will pay up but team tell FIA: We're not happy
Ferrari boss Binotto says he is "not happy" about the finem but will pay up after a weekend that saw plenty of discussions with the FIA. The team saw two post-race protests thrown out after they accused both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez of crossing the yellow line on pit exit. "As we know, the traffic situation in Monaco is always very difficult. And it seems that radio communication is critical," Binotto said. "We did our best, we believe that it was certainly not dangerous. We are not too happy about the fine. "We believe it was not the right choice because, as a team and driver, we did our best in order to avoid it at the time and not do anything wrong with it. "We need to accept those decisions but that doesn't mean we agree with them."
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