Williams Formula 1 team principal James Vowles has explained why the team launched the right of review process at the end of the 96-hour window available for it to be filed following Carlos Sainz’s Dutch Grand Prix penalty.
The Grove outfit launched a right of review of the penalty imposed on the Spanish driver during the Dutch Grand Prix. Sainz was handed a 10-second penalty and two points on his superlicence after a collision with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson.Â
The stewards have now confirmed that a right of review hearing will take place, with representatives from both teams present, on Friday 12 September when Williams’s right of review will be assessed as well as the on-track incident.
Vowles was questioned about why the team used almost the whole 96-hour window teams are allowed to submit a right of review request.
“So, the decision to do a right of review actually took place on the Monday,” the team chief explained during The Vowles Verdict. “I wanted to make sure we reflected on it on the Sunday, not overreact, but rather look back through the footage on Monday, have a chat with Carlos before we make a decision to go ahead.
“From that point onwards, the process is the following. We need to make sure that we’re complying with three elements of that right of review. You need information effectively that wasn’t available to the stewards at the time of the decision. And that information has to be new, and it has to be significant.
“And if you think that through in context, whilst there’s some onboard footage and helicopter footage and other footage etc. that shows the incident from different angles, all of that was available to the stewards at the time of making their decision and therefore doesn’t comply with the requirement for a review.
Carlos Sainz, Williams
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images
“So quite a bit of that time was assessing what evidence can we gather that enables us to get the case to where we need it to be, and then what do we need to do to fundamentally bring this forwards and hopefully display the case to the stewards from our perspective?
“We’re respectful of the FIA and the stewards in the circumstance. This is not something we want to pull together in a matter of minutes, but rather make sure that I hope we’re putting forward a comprehensive case that is worth their time in order to talk through.
“So, in part it’s making sure we’re really assessing the situation correctly. In part, making sure we gather the right evidence and then in part, making sure that we’re respectful of everyone’s time and not wasting anyone’s time as a result.”
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