Carlos Sainz was demoted from fourth to 12th at the end of the Australian Grand Prix after being given a five-second penalty for causing a collision with Fernando Alonso; Ferrari have lodged a petition for review, with team principal Frederic Vasseur accusing the stewards of inconsistency
Tuesday 18 April 2023 13:22, UK
Ferrari have submitted a petition for review to the FIA of the penalty that dropped Carlos Sainz from fourth to 12th at the end of the Australian Grand Prix, team principal Frederic Vasseur has confirmed.
Sainz was demoted out of the points in Melbourne after being penalised for causing a collision with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso following a chaotic penultimate-lap standing restart, which saw two other crashes take place before a red flag was thrown for the third time in the race.
While Vasseur said he would not confirm the specifics of Ferrari's reasoning, the Frenchman hinted that his team are unsatisfied with inconsistency relating to a lack of punishment for two other incidents that occurred at the same restart.
"We did the petition for review of the case, we sent it to the FIA," Vasseur said
"As we are discussing with the FIA, I don't want to disclose any details of this discussion."
After the contact between Sainz and Alonso, Alpine team-mates Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were involved in a heavy collision, while William's Logan Sargeant ran into the AlphaTauri of Nyck de Vries.
Sainz and Alonso, who were fourth and third respectively at the restart, sustained minimal damage and were able to continue at the back of the field, while the other four cars involved in incidents retired.
The FIA decided that the remaining 12 cars would be restored to the order from the standing restart for a processional final lap behind the safety car, but also that Sainz would serve a five-second penalty, leaving him no opportunity to create a gap to the cars behind him, and ultimately condemning him to last of those who finished.
Meanwhile, Gasly and Ocon were cleared of wrongdoing after visiting the stewards after the race, while the collision between Sargeant and De Vries wasn't investigated.
"The only thing is that about Gasly-Ocon, also Sargeant-De Vries turn one, and the reaction of the stewards was not the same," Vasseur said.
"What we can expect is to at least have an open discussion with them.
"Also for the good of the sport, to avoid to have this kind of decision when you have three cases at the same corner and not the same decision."
Sainz was left devastated by the decision, first describing it over team radio as the "most unfair penalty" he had seen in his life, and later as "the biggest disgrace" in the sport for many years.
"The biggest frustration from Carlos, you heard it on the radio, was to not have hearings because the case was very special," Vasseur added.
"In this case I think It would have made sense, considering that the race was over and it was not affecting the podium, to have the hearings as Gasly and Ocon had."
Vasseur said he hoped the FIA would address Ferrari's appeal before the season resumes at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from April 28-30, but accepted the process was now in the hands of the sport's governing body.
Despite confirming the appeal, Vasseur expressed some sympathy for the stewards and the difficulty of their job.
The incident in Australia was preceded by another penalty controversy at the race before, when Alonso was demoted and then reinstated to the podium after a successful appeal from Aston Martin.
On that occasion, the FIA was criticised for taking too long to confirm Alonso's penalty, whereas this time it has been accused of acting too hastily.
"I don't want to blame someone, because you have racing incidents," Vasseur said.
"I've been doing this job for 33 years now, and each time that you have a crash on track, I think you have two versions - always with a different feedback and a different outcome depending on the drivers.
"It means that it's not an easy job, and it's difficult to take a decision when it's during the race, and we are always asking to take a decision during the race.
"This case was probably a bit particular with the three red flags, with the last start with one lap behind the Safety Car, and that's where the frustration came from, because we had the feeling that the Ocon-Gasly situation was treated a bit differently."
Due to the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix, there is a four-week break until the 2023 Formula 1 season resumes with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku's stunning street circuit.
The action is all live on Sky Sports F1 from April 28-30, with Sunday's race at 12pm.
Between now and then, we will be bringing you all the latest F1 news via the Sky Sports app and website.
