Ferrari fined after qualifying incident in Qatar

Scuderia Ferrari has been fined after the qualifying session at the Qatar Grand Prix after the team performed an unsafe release with Carlos Sainz, nearly causing a crash in the pit lane.

Ferrari released Carlos Sainz in a dangerous manner during qualifying in Qatar which forced Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton to hit his brakes as he drove down the pit lane at the Lusail International Circuit.

Although the two drivers avoided a collision, the stewards launched an investigation and elected to impose a fine of €5,000, which is the standard penalty in similar cases.

The stewards noted: "The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 55 (Carlos Sainz), the driver of Car 44 (Lewis Hamilton), team representatives and reviewed external video and in-car video evidence.

"The representative of Car 55 admitted that the Number 1 mechanic responsible for releasing Car 55, signalled the car to be released prior to the driver being ready. This resulted in a small delay which in turn resulted in the car being released into the path of Car 44, requiring the driver of Car 44 to take avoiding action.

"This is a breach of Article 34.14 and consistent with similar cases this year, the penalty above is imposed."