Brundle hopes for more freedom for stewards: 'Hundreds of rules...'

Carlos Sainz ran into an unscheduled grid penalty in Las Vegas this weekend. The Spaniard's Ferrari sustained damage when a manhole cover came off. Part of the engine was damaged and had to be replaced, but in doing so he exceeded the maximum number of parts allowed. To the dismay of Sainz himself and his Italian employer, no dispensation was granted by the stewards.

Sainz, the current number four in the world championship, was put back 10 places on the grid. Actually, he had hoped he would have been allowed to introduce 'free' engine parts, since it was beyond his - or Ferrari's - control. However, the stewards did not go along with that story.

Stewards say 'no'

Brundle believes this could have been done differently and should be done differently in the future. "He was controlled but clearly beyond angry, as were his team who thought the penalty unfair in the circumstances. They also wanted to know who was going to pay for the damage. There are hundreds of pages of rules in the International Sporting Code and the specific F1 Sporting and Technical regulations, but nothing which can allow the Stewards to legally turn a blind eye if something just doesn't seem fair."

The former Formula One driver continued in his column for Sky Sports: "It's perilous to write a clause and create a precedent where the Stewards can unilaterally ignore regulations in the name of common sense and fairness in force majeure situations, even if every team and others key bodies agree. But we really must add some wording, with due checks and balances, which can be applied without fear of ensuing legal actions, or teams using it to advantage in other scenarios."

Sainz started the Las Vegas GP from 12th place. At the start, he was immediately hit at turn one, dropping all the way back to the back of the grid. Despite this, he still finished sixth in the United States. Thanks to that P6 and Charles Leclerc's second place, Ferrari approached rival Mercedes to just four points.