zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
FIA Deems Carlos Sainz Jr.'s F1 Car 'Unsafe' Before The British Grand Prix
FIA Deems Carlos Sainz Jr.'s F1 Car 'Unsafe' Before The British Grand Prix-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:21

In pre-race scrutineering for the Formula One British Grand Prix, FIA scrutineers deemed the Carlos Sainz Jr.’s No. 55 Scuderia Toro Rosso race car unsafe over what they say is an damaged wheel tether, reports . Per a tweet by F1 journo, Toro Rosso says the part came like that.

Wheel tethers are an essential piece of safety kit for Formula One cars. Without them, wheels that come loose in a crash could cause all kinds of injury or death. Yet they’re also a bit finicky. The tether must be kept in a protective cover as the Zylon fiber used degrades in sunlight, per . Tethers must be completely intact and not show any breakage in scrutineering, otherwise they will be asked teams to replace it.

So, it’s not a surprise that a tether that looks to be tied together in one point would arouse some suspicion. The borked wheel tether in question was pictured in the Technical Delegate’s Report from the race; Motorsport.com shows a close-up .

Scrutineers found a tether on Sainz’s car that “was not only damaged but also [had] several cut fibers that were knotted together,” per the released on the matter. Because of this, scrutineers allege that Toro Rosso must have known of the damage before putting the car through scrutineering.

When scrutineers pointed out the damaged wheel tether, Toro Rosso refused to change it. The FIA now claims they’re in breach of Article 3.3 of the current F1 Sporting Regulations, which states “The presentation of a car for scrutineering will be deemed an implicit statement of conformity.”

By attempting to ignore scrutineers’ instructions, Toro Rosso may be in further trouble with the stewards for the race. Motorsport.com also notes that Toro Rosso attempting to push through a car with a busted wheel tether puts them in violation of Article 12.1.1.b of the International Sporting Code, which forbids teams from willfully attempting to enter “ineligible” cars.

Either way, it’s bizarre to see Toro Rosso putting up this much protest over a small safety item on the car. F1 fans everywhere are asking, “why couldn’t this problem be on instead?”

: No further action was taken against Toro Rosso for the mishap, reports . The team ultimately voluntarily replaced the tether that scrutineers said had a damaged protective cover, dust on the fibers that could be corrosive brake dust, and fibers with signs of wear. However, the manufacturer of the tethers also had Toro Rosso’s back, as Motorsport.com notes:

An additional issue that the Stewards considered was the presence of knots within the tether. The Stewards were informed by the team and the relevant manufacturer that these were standard in tethers and have been duly tested for use and homologated with these knots present.

Race stewards did not believe that Toro Rosso tried to deceive them, either, hence the lack of penalty.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
In another unsurprising example of motorsport’s inhospitable mindset toward hiring competent women, the Racing team has announced a new partnership with Ava Rose, a literal , who will... engage with fans? Share knowledge about technology? “Navigate the cutting edge of innovation to create positive change” (whatever that means)? I...
Jul 22, 2025
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Fellow nerds, get ready to open your wallets, because I’ve found what may be the greatest store of all time. With designs from Formula 1 teams like , you’re sure to find something that fits your particular nostalgic niche. I’d like to introduce you to Racing Retro. I first...
Jul 22, 2025
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
If you follow racing in the U.S., you probably already know about the . Most of the episodes are too much of a distraction to put on as background noise while you work, but a couple of recent entries in his series have been working incredibly well for me....
Jul 22, 2025
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
Name a car from the early 1960s built by a famed racing driver with curvy, lightweight aluminum bodywork, a big American engine, and a reputation for being unruly and fast as all hell. Your first thought was probably the famed Shelby Cobra, did you know there was a who...
Jul 22, 2025
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
The partially North Carolina-based squad has determined that after , it needs to mix things up a little. The team’s firebrand has been following an abysmal 2023 season which saw the team score just four points-paying finishes. The team’s , where scored a fourth-place finish, but that season too...
Jul 22, 2025
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
If you listen to Formula 1 or local officials from Las Vegas and Clark County, you’d probably think November’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was a success. Some sources estimated that the city of Las Vegas made over $1 billion in revenue from the event — but there were...
Jul 22, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved