(Paris) The FIA has refused an appeal filed by Ferrari in the hope of overturning a penalty that cost Carlos Sainz Jr. fourth place at the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Sainz was given a five-second penalty for coming into contact with Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin just after the restart. The race was concluded behind the safety car, and as a result the penalty imposed on Sainz relegated him to 12th and last place among the drivers who reached the finish. The Spaniard therefore did not score a point in the standings.
The stewards’ decision announced on Tuesday demonstrates that Ferrari made telemetry arguments taken from Sainz’s car. The ‘Scuderia’ also relied on a written statement from the Spanish driver and the comments of the other drivers on the grid collected during interviews to demonstrate that Sainz’s tires were cold, that they had no grip, that he was dazzled by the sun and could not react quickly enough to prevent his car from crashing into Alonso’s.
The stewards, who included ex-F1 driver Enrique Bernoldi, determined that there was “no significant new evidence” provided by Ferrari to overturn the penalty that had been imposed on Sainz in Australia.
“Track conditions and tires are factors that had to be considered by all drivers,” the FIA decision read. By braking late as he struggles (with Pierre Gasly), he (Sainz) took a risk which, as a driver, could have caused him to lose control of his car. In this case, it happened, and as a result there was a collision, which resulted in the penalty. »
Ferrari said the team is “understandably disappointed” with the decision and will try to initiate a discussion to reform the way penalties will be awarded in the future.
