FIA release statement after late VSC at the F1 Mexico GP

The FIA have released a statement regarding the late virtual safety car that ended the Mexico City Grand Prix.

An anti-climactic end occured at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez after Carlos Sainz retired in the stadium section of the circuit with just two laps remaining, resulting in a VSC that neutralised the field.

The race resumed with one lap remaining, but as a result of the stoppage, the battle for P2 between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen was hindered, as was the battle between Ollie Bearman and Oscar Piastri for P4.

Plenty of fans had their say on the premature stoppage due to Sainz's retirement, and the FIA went on to release a statement explaining their decision-making.

The FIA release a photo of where Carlos Sainz's car ended up in Mexico - Photo: FIA

"On lap 70, Sainz spun and stopped in the runoff area on the outside of Turn 14. His car came to a halt in an exposed position," started the FIA statement.

"The car subsequently began smoking, and race control received notifications of fire, making it clear that marshal intervention would be required for recovery.

"As is standard procedure when marshals are deployed to recover a car, the race is neutralised, in this case, a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was triggered until the car was moved to a safe location behind the barriers. The VSC ended as soon as the car was in a protected position, and the race concluded under green-flag conditions."

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There was also an incident earlier in the race that saw some debris end up on the track, with race control deciding not to bring out a VSC or a full-blown safety car to sort it.

However, that almost ended in disaster, with Liam Lawson only just missing the marshals out on track who were cleaning up the debris.

"Following a Turn 1 incident, Race Control was informed that debris was present on the track at the apex of that corner," continued the statement.

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"On lap 3, Marshals were alerted and placed on standby to enter the track and recover the debris once all cars had passed Turn 1.

"As soon as it became apparent that Lawson had pitted, the instructions to dispatch marshals were rescinded, and a double yellow flag was shown in that area. We are still investigating what occurred after that point.

"We would like to underline our respect and appreciation for the local ASN, OMDAI, as well as the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and their marshals, who are volunteers and play a vital role in the safe and successful running of our sport. Their professionalism and dedication are invaluable to every event we stage," concluded the statement.

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