No penalty for Sainz: McLaren secure third-place in the championship

At the front, with a dominant Verstappen, there wasn't many exciting moments during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The tension was in the midfield, as McLaren and Racing Point competed for third place in the F1 Constructors' Championship. The decision about a pending penalty was only made after the race.

A decision that is worth a lot of money

Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz had done enough to secure third place in the championship with a fifth and sixth place in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. But Sainz was still set to be investigated by the race management for driving too slowly in the pit lane. If he lost his points due to a penalty, Racing Point might have finished third. A decision worth about ten million euros.

The FIA have now decided not to penalise and so McLaren can have a party. According to the race management, Lance Stroll was not significantly delayed by Sainz. The reason it took them so long to make this decision, according to the FIA, is because they did not have the necessary telemetry available during the race.