P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin explained why Mercedes paid a €10,000 fine for setting tyre pressures on the grid for the Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Last Sunday’s race at Interlagos began with chaos, as Lance Stroll’s mishap prompted a 30-minute delay. Mercedes made tire pressure adjustments to Russell and Hamilton’s F1 cars just before the race restart, leading to a post-race referral to the stewards. Mercedes’ Andrew Shovlin explained the time constraints and complexities of the pit layout at Interlagos that affected tire preparations. Despite the issue, Mercedes received only a monetary fine as no sporting advantage was gained. Shovlin accepted the penalty, stating that all parties agreed there was no breach of sporting regulations. The FIA recognized the challenges faced by teams due to the short notice and did not impose a sporting penalty in this case.
