Carlos Sainz Proposes Three-Place Grid Penalty for Any Driver Who Causes Yellow or Red Flags in F1 Qualifying

F1 drivers have long complained about qualifying sessions being disrupted by yellow or red flags, but the issue reached a new flashpoint at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix. In response, GPDA chairman Carlos Sainz has proposed a radical new penalty that would fundamentally change how drivers approach the final runs of qualifying.

The Proposed Penalty: A Simple, Tough Rule

Carlos Sainz has proposed that any driver who causes a yellow or red flag during qualifying should receive a three-place grid penalty. Speaking as chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA), he argued this would discourage drivers from pushing over the limit and unfairly preventing others from improving their lap times .

"I think anyone who causes a yellow or red flag in qualifying should receive a three-place grid penalty. That way, at least you get punished and discouraged from slamming into things at full throttle." — Carlos Sainz

The proposal is straightforward: no matter whether the incident is intentional or accidental, the driver who triggers the flag would lose three grid positions. This approach sidesteps the difficult task of proving intent, which has long been a problem for the FIA in similar cases .

The Incident That Sparked the Idea

The proposal was prompted directly by the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix qualifying session on June 27, 2026 . During the final runs of Q3, Red Bull's Max Verstappen lost control of his car at Turn 9 and hit the outside wall, bringing out yellow flags .

Mercedes driver George Russell, who was on a hot lap, drove through the yellow-flag zone without fully lifting and set the fastest time of the session, taking pole position. The FIA decided to deploy only single yellow flags at Turn 9 and, after reviewing the incident, took no further action, ruling that Russell had acted within the regulations .

This decision infuriated several drivers. Kimi Antonelli, who had backed off his lap after seeing the yellow flags, finished fourth and argued that double yellow flags — which would have forced all drivers to abort their laps — should have been deployed . The FIA only upgraded the signal to double-waved yellow flags about 25 seconds later, after both Russell and Antonelli had already completed their laps .

What Caused Verstappen's Crash?

Verstappen's crash at Turn 9 was not a driving error. Reports describe it as a mechanical issue — a "car malfunction" while he was running in third place . The Red Bull driver lost control of his car after a suspected failure, hitting the outside wall . Sainz explicitly noted that the crash was not a deliberate or reckless act, but even so, he believes the current regulations are insufficient to protect fair competition in qualifying .

Current Status: A Suggestion, Not a Rule

As of July 2, 2026, the proposal remains an informal suggestion from Sainz, not yet formally submitted to or adopted by the FIA . Sainz said he would like to be heard before the Silverstone sprint weekend but acknowledged the tight schedule of a race weekend makes it difficult to push through rule changes quickly. The FIA has not publicly responded to the proposal or announced any intentions to change the regulations .

The proposal is part of a broader, long-running debate within F1 about how to handle qualifying disruptions. Drivers have called for stricter rules for years, with Sainz himself noting that "there have been very clear cases in street circuits where, among us drivers, we've spotted people on purpose generating red flags" . Esteban Ocon has supported similar calls, and Motorsport.com reported in 2022 that drivers were pushing for a rule that would penalize anyone who triggers a red or yellow flag, even accidentally .

Why the Proposal Matters

If adopted, Sainz's three-place grid penalty would be a significant departure from current FIA guidelines. Under existing rules, failing to slow for single yellow flags can result in a five-place grid penalty and two penalty points, while ignoring double-waved yellows can trigger a 10-second penalty, drive-through penalty, or similar grid drop . But currently, there is no penalty for the driver who causes the flag, only for those who fail to respect it.

This asymmetry is what Sainz wants to fix. In the Austrian GP qualifying, Russell gained an advantage by pushing through yellow flags that the FIA deemed legal, while Verstappen's mechanical failure, through no fault of his own, ended the session for other drivers. A rule that penalizes the flag-causing driver, regardless of intent, would eliminate any incentive for drivers to push beyond safe limits on their final runs, knowing they would face a grid penalty if they crashed.

For now, the proposal is just an idea. But with the FIA already updating its penalty guidelines for 2026 to give stewards clearer criteria for judging yellow-flag infringements , the door is open for further reforms. Whether the governing body will embrace Sainz's suggestion remains to be seen.