Chandhok responds to Sainz’s name-drop for ‘very high level’ F1 stewards

Put forward as an ideal solution as F1’s stewarding troubles, Karun Chandhok has thanked Carlos Sainz for his review of his post-race analysis, but says he’s not ready to give up the ‘Sky Pad’.

Formula 1’s stewards have come in for some stick this season, criticised for decisions that have at times proved extremely costly to the drivers.

Out with the Sky Pad and into the stewards’ office?

Sainz counted his name on that list.

The Williams driver was hit with a 10-second penalty plus two penalty points after driving around the outside of the opening corner at the Zandvoort circuit, where his front right tyre clashed with Liam Lawson’s rear left.

Sainz and Lawson both suffered punctures, and the stewards ruled Sainz was to blame as they claimed Lawson had “the right to the corner” because his Racing Bulls car was ahead at the apex.

Williams submitted a right to review that played out in Sainz’s favour inasmuch as the stewards accepted the collision was a “caused by a momentary loss of control” from Lawson. Sainz’s two penalty points were rescinded, but nothing could be done about his in-race time penalty.

It was one of several penalties that the Formula 1 drivers have questioned – even the unfortunate victims in the incidents. Charles Leclerc was adamant that Oscar Piastri did not deserve 10 seconds for his moment with Kimi Antonelli that put the Ferrari driver out of the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The drivers sat down with the FIA in Qatar to for the season’s annual ‘Driving Standards Review’ meeting to discuss areas of concern.

Prior to that sit-down, Sainz told the media at the Lusail International Circuit that he had the perfect solution – Karun Chandhok, Anthony Davidson and Jolyon Palmer.

More key talking points on F1’s stewards

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👉 Russell proposes FIA steward solution as Sainz lauds ex-F1 driver trio

All three former drivers are pundits on either Sky or F1TV, and Sainz has been very impressed with their post-race analysis.

“I’m going to speak as Carlos Sainz, not as GPDA here. I’m going to give you as honest as possible answer,” Sainz said.

“Recently, after the races, I’ve seen some analysis done of quite a lot of the incidents. I think there was on some of them, Karun Chandhok, in some of them, Jolyon Palmer, some of them, I think, was Anthony Davidson.

“And every time I see this analysis that they do and the verdict that they give from racing drivers that have been recently racing, I think they do a very good analysis, and they put the blame correctly, most of the time, on who actually has the blame, or if it’s actually just a racing incident.

“My future ideal is no guidelines and people that are able to judge these sort of incidents as well as these three people that I just mentioned do after the races.”

Going on to say that he is “quite impressed” with the job they do, Sainz added: “I think that’s a level of analysis and a level of stewardness, if you want to call it that way, that I think is very high level.

“Probably it doesn’t mean that we will agree 100 per cent on the cases of what these three people, three ex-drivers, give, but I think they are, 90 per cent, let’s say, correct. And if I would have to go and see Formula 1 in the future, and the stewarding level, this is more or less a level that I would appreciate.”

But while Chandhok appreciated the Spaniard’s vote of confidence in his analysis, he’s not ready to give up the ‘Sky Pad’ just yet.

“Ha! Thanks Carlos Sainz,” he wrote on X.

“Would be good to work with the drivers and stewards for the betterment of the sport but not ready to give up the day job yet 😂”

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