Williams seek review of Sirotkin's Spanish GP grid penalty

LONDON: The Williams Formula One team have asked stewards to review a decision to impose a three-place grid penalty on Russian driver Sergey Sirotkin for next weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.

The governing FIA said in a statement on Monday that Williams had asked for stewards to look again at three decisions made at the April 29 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The FIA’s international sporting code allows for that in cases where “a significant and relevant new element” is discovered.

A first hearing will take place by teleconference on Tuesday, followed by a second if stewards accept there is a new element. The Baku stewards include nine times Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen of Denmark.

One of the incidents was a clash at the second corner of the first lap between Sirotkin, McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg.

Alonso’s actions in limping back to the pits after suffering two punctures were specifically mentioned.

The Spaniard ended up finishing seventh, one place ahead of Williams’ Canadian Lance Stroll who scored that team’s first points of the season.

Sirotkin, who was penalised for running into the back of Mexican Sergio Perez’s Force India, retired as a result of the collision. The Russian also collected two penalty points on his licence as well as the grid drop.

Williams also sought reviews of Force India driver Esteban Ocon’s first lap clash with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and a tangle later on between Haas’s Kevin Magnussen and Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly.

“There shall be a preliminary hearing to determine if a ‘new element’ as defined in...the Code exists,” the FIA said.

“This will be followed by another hearing to conduct the review(s), if any new element is determined by the stewards to exist.”

The fifth race of the season, and first in Europe, is at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya this weekend.