Piastri was handed a 10-second penalty for his involvement in a three-way Turn 1 collision with Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc at Interlagos, a decision the stewards said was consistent with the current Driving Standard Guidelines.
Under those guidelines, Antonelli was not obliged to leave space as Piastri was not sufficiently alongside at the apex.
But the ruling immediately triggered disagreement throughout the paddock, with Sainz the strongest voice questioning whether the guidelines are being applied in a way that reflects real racing situations.
“I think we need urgently a catch-up and try and solve it, because for me the fact that Oscar got a penalty there in Brazil is unacceptable, honestly, for the category that we are in and being the pinnacle of motorsport,” Sainz said ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
“Everyone that’s seen racing knows that that is not Oscar’s fault at all, and everyone that’s really raced a race car knows he could have done nothing to avoid an accident there.”
The Williams driver and GPDA director pointed to a series of incidents this season that he believed highlight inconsistencies in how the guidelines are interpreted.
He referenced his overturned Zandvoort penalty, Ollie Bearman’s penalty in Monza and his own 10-second sanction in Austin as examples of decisions he “didn’t understand”.
“For me it’s something that I don’t understand,” he said.
“So there’s been not one but multiple incidents this year that are, for me, far from where the sport should be.”
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Piastri said he was taken aback by the decision, noting the support from fellow drivers has been telling.
“I think fortunately for me, a lot of people have done the talking for me,” he said.
“I think when one of my fellow drivers involved in the accident says it’s not your fault, I think that’s a pretty good indication.
“So it’s something that I’m sure we’ll talk about with the FIA, just to get some more understanding.
“I think it was a bit of a surprise for everyone clearly that the penalty was so harsh, myself included. So I’m sure we’ll talk about it.
“The only thing you can do in these situations is try to learn the reasoning and the thinking behind it and whether that needs to change or not.
“You know, they’ve [the FIA] been very receptive to that in the past, and I’m sure they will be in the future.”
Drivers will now raise the broader issue with the FIA in Qatar, with discussion expected around whether the guidelines should be treated as strict criteria or whether stewards should be encouraged to exercise more flexibility.
“It could go both ways,” Sainz said.
“You could criticise the way the guidelines are written and we ask the stewards to obviously apply those guidelines as firmly as possible and the stewards are just doing their job.
“Or are the guidelines [just] guidelines and the stewards should take them as guidelines and not as black or white?
“I’m not sure what the solution is, but it is very clear for me that after what I saw in Brazil, something is not quite working.”
One solution Sainz believes is worth exploring is the introduction of permanent stewards, arguing they would build a shared understanding with drivers over time.
“With good and consistent stewarding — if they truly understand racing really well — through the year we would develop an understanding among us, and you would know when it’s your fault,” he said.
“They would know when it’s someone’s fault and not.
“This is more my perception of things, but I think if we had three fixed guys, the same way that we have a fixed race director, and we know the way they’ve been applying penalties through years, then we create that muscle memory of how they tend to rate penalties.
“I honestly think, even without guidelines, we know when it’s someone’s fault or not, or when it’s a simple racing mistake.”
George Russell echoed concerns about the rigidity of the guidelines, particularly how they apply to the unique characteristics of certain corners.
He pointed out that a lock-up at Interlagos’ downhill, cambered Turn 1 does not necessarily indicate a driver is out of control.
“The guidelines have to be guidelines,” Russell said.
“You have to see every single corner, every circuit, every incident, totally different.”
Alex Albon, meanwhile, was less convinced that any single fix will satisfy all drivers, noting the complexity of the discussions and the differing philosophies across the grid.
“Drivers have different opinions on all sorts of subject matters,” he said.
“Personally I’m not sure how we’ll ever find a solution.”
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