UNITED KINGDOM: The FIA has rejected Ferrari’s appeal for a ‘right of review’ over the penalty issued to Carlos Sainz at the Australian Grand Prix. The stewards had found Sainz at fault for a late collision with Fernando Alonso, which had sent the latter driver into a spin, almost ending his podium streak at the start of F1 2023.
Sainz dropped from P4 to P12 after receiving a five-second time penalty. However, Ferrari virtually appealed the sentence on Tuesday morning, but the FIA ruled that there was insufficient evidence to overturn the decision.
The news has left Sainz feeling “very disappointed”, while he confirmed that he hadn’t changed his stance on the punishment in the two weeks following the race.
In response, Ferrari said it was “looking forward” to discussions with the FIA to improve the policing of the rules in Formula 1.
Sainz also believes this topic must be addressed “for the sake of our sport.”
Sainz is heading into the next race in Baku at P5 in the Drivers’ standings on 20 points, while Ferrari’s overall tally of 26 places them at P4 in the Constructors’ standings after three rounds.
The Australian Grand Prix had already been a chaotic race before the incident between Sainz and Alonso occurred.
The race director red-flagged the race after the right-rear wheel of Kevin Magnussen’s Haas hit the barrier and caused a spectacular tyre failure, with debris scattered all over the track.
After the race restarted, Sainz and Alonso collided, leading to the penalty, which Ferrari later appealed.
While the decision has disappointed Sainz and Ferrari, it is common for the FIA to reject appeals, especially in Formula 1.
The rejection of the appeal has also brought the focus back on the policing of the rules in Formula 1, and Sainz’s comments suggest that the FIA needs to hold discussions to improve the consistency and decision-making process for the sport.
As the teams and drivers head into the next race, it remains to be seen how this incident will impact the sport and what steps the FIA will take to ensure that such situations are handled better in the future.
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