At the Sanya E-Prix, as at every race in the Formula E World Championship, the race commissioners of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) are responsible for ensuring compliance with the Technical and Sporting Regulations. Should they identify a breach, it is their responsibility to determine the penalty. As usual, this article provides a list of all the decisions made over the weekend.
At the 2026 Sanya E-Prix, this task will be carried out by Mathieu Remmerie, Chairman of the Stewards, the International Steward, Brieuc Kremer, and the National Steward, Hou Lin. They will be assisted by former racing driver Alex Yoong. Yoong, who hails from Malaysia, also spent two years in Formula 1 during his motorsport career, where he drove for the Minardi team.
Penalties ahead of the race weekend
Lucas di Grassi was handed a 20-place grid penalty in Monaco for the Sanya race, as the inverter on his Lola Yamaha ABT car had been replaced.
Lucas di Grassi received a further 20-place grid penalty for the Sanya race after the gearbox on his Lola Yamaha ABT car was also replaced.
Taylor Barnard was also handed a five-place grid penalty in Monaco for the race in Sanya, having caused a collision with Norman Nato during Sunday’s race. As Barnard did not finish in the top ten there, the penalty was converted.
Taylor Barnard received a second five-place grid penalty for another collision in Monaco, this time with Jean-Eric Vergne.
His team-mate Max Günther also received a grid penalty for Sanya: Günther must move back three places for driving too fast during full-course yellow. This was also originally a time penalty, which was subsequently converted into a grid penalty because Günther did not finish in the top 10.
Pepe Marti has also been handed a five-place grid penalty for causing a collision in Monaco.
Further negotiations ahead of the race weekend
Following the Monaco E-Prix, DS Penske requested a petition for review of the time penalty imposed on Max Günther for driving too fast under a Full Course Yellow. The driver and team stated that his speed had been reduced within the stipulated five-second period, but Günther was unsure whether he had pressed the button on the steering wheel that activates the speed limiter correctly. He therefore pressed it again, thereby deactivating the limiter. He then briefly accelerated to over 50 km/h before braking again and pressing the button a further time. As Günther lost time compared to other drivers due to braking, this manoeuvre did not confer any advantage. However, as gaining an advantage was not a prerequisite for the penalty, the stewards stood by their decision - Günther had undoubtedly been driving too fast, at least briefly.
Following the Monaco E-Prix, DS Penske also requested a petition for review of the second time penalty imposed on Max Günther for the collision with Sébastien Buemi at the Fairmont hairpin. It was argued that Günther had been driving a consistent line, whilst Buemi had cut sharply inwards from the outside, resulting in contact. However, as the rules stipulate that a driver on the inside must be at least level with a rival’s wing mirrors to have the right to the inside line, a review of the situation was also rejected in this case.
Mahindra Racing, on the other hand, following the Monaco E-Prix requested a petition for review of the time penalty imposed on Edoardo Mortara for the collision with Antonio Felix da Costa at the Harbour chicane. The team sought to have the ten-second time penalty reduced to five seconds, citing other collisions that had occurred during the race weekend. The stewards, however, rejected this on the grounds that the other collisions had taken place under different circumstances and that each situation must be assessed independently of the others. Here, too, the decision therefore stood.
Penalties during Free Practice
Taylor Barnard received a reprimand for impeding Jean-Eric Vergne during the second free practice session. This is already his second reprimand of the season. Should he receive a third, he will automatically be moved back ten places on the starting grid.
Penalties during qualifying
Norman Nato’s fastest lap time in the group qualifying session was cancelled because the torque measured at the rear axle differed from the value specified in the homologated throttle mapping. This is a technical infringement, usually caused by the electronics. However, this had no impact on the result; Nato finished 9th in his group.
Penalties during the race
Lucas di Grassi was given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty as it was not possible to move him back 40 places on the grid. He must serve this penalty immediately after the start of the race.
Zane Maloney was handed a 20-place grid penalty for the first race in Shanghai because the inverter on his Lola-Yamaha-ABT car had been replaced.
Zane Maloney received a further 20-place grid penalty for the first race in Shanghai because the gearbox on his Lola-Yamaha-ABT car had also been replaced.
Nick Cassidy received a ten-second time penalty for driving too fast in the pit lane. The Citroen driver was clocked at 70.1 km/h, whereas the maximum permitted speed is 50 km/h. Due to the significant excess, Cassidy was also given a penalty point.
Dan Ticktum received a ten-second time penalty for causing a collision with Mitch Evans. He served this penalty during a pit stop. Ticktum also received a penalty point for this collision.
Felipe Drugovich was subsequently given a five-second time penalty for a collision with Pascal Wehrlein. This dropped him from second to fifth place. Drugovich also received a penalty point.
Citroen Racing was fined 2,500 euros because the team had forgotten to remove the side wheel covers from Jean-Eric Vergne's car, which he lost on his way to the starting grid.
Nyck de Vries was initially given a five-second time penalty for changing lines whilst braking. As a result, he dropped from fourth to sixth place. However, this penalty was subsequently rescinded, as the Mahindra driver had already been shown the yellow flag for this manoeuvre and the stewards had not been informed of this due to a communication error. As a result of the penalty imposed on Felipe Drugovich, de Vries even moved up to third place.
Zane Maloney was subsequently handed a five-second time penalty for failing to observe the 50 km/h speed limit whilst returning to the pit lane during the race interruption. As Maloney finished the race outside the points, the penalty was converted into a three-place grid penalty for the first race of the Shanghai E-Prix. Maloney was also awarded two penalty points for this offence.
Dan Ticktum was also subsequently given a five-second time penalty for the same offence. The Cupra Kiro driver will therefore also have to start three places further back in the first Shanghai race. Two penalty points were also awarded in this case.
Pascal Wehrlein received a five-second time penalty for a collision with Norman Nato. As a result, he dropped from sixth to 14th place. Wehrlein also received one penalty point for this incident.
Antonio Felix da Costa received a five-second time penalty for a collision with Norman Nato. This initially dropped him from second to fifth place. As Drugovich was also penalised retrospectively, the Jaguar driver moved back up to fourth place.
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