The Sanya E-Prix was marked by controversy after a red flag was brought out on lap 19 following a multi-car incident. Many drivers and team principals felt a full course yellow would have been a more suitable response. The race was restarted after a 20-minute delay, with some drivers criticizing the length of time it took to resume the race.
The incident also raised questions about the consistency of penalties applied, with 14 penalties handed out during the race. One penalty in particular, given to Antonio Felix da Costa, was widely questioned, with da Costa himself expressing frustration at the lack of consistency.
The Sanya track's ability to handle the faster Gen4 cars, set to be introduced in 2027, has also been called into question. The track's tight Turn 9 hairpin and narrow start and finish area may need to be modified to accommodate the larger and faster Gen4 cars.
