Ferrari has called on the FIA to review the time penalty handed to Carlos Sainz at the Australian Grand Prix.

The Spaniard was deemed "wholly to blame" for the clash with Fernando Alonso at the second restart, and as a result was handed a 5s time penalty which, even though he remained fourth on the grid for the third restart, meant he dropped to twelfth at the finish.

Ahead of the third restart the Spaniard could be seen and heard remonstrating with his engineer, complaining that it was wrong to hand him the penalty without actually discussing the issue with him.

Confirming that Ferrari has now called for a review of the decision, Frederic Vasseur said: "The process is that first they will have a look at our petition to see if they can reopen the case and then we'll have a second hearing a bit later with the same stewards about the decision itself.

"To reopen the discussion is the first step," he added. "The outcome of this will be up to the FIA. For sure we are expecting a review of the decision because it's a petition for review. We are not going there to get sympathy."

While Sainz did indeed hit Alonso, causing the Aston Martin driver to spin and drop down the field, come the third restart the two-time world champion was back in third on the grid, almost as if the accident had never happened.

Furthermore, there is concern that while Sainz, who Vasseur described as being "devastated", was penalised and the decision reached almost immediately, it was over three hours before the stewards decided no further action was needed regarding the clash between the Alpine drivers that actually caused the third red flag, whilst the Logan Sargeant / Nyck de Vries clash wasn't even deemed worthy of investigation.

"What we can expect is at least to have an open discussion," said Vasseur, "and also for the good of the sport to avoid to have this kind of decision when you have three cases on the same corner and not the same decision.

"The biggest frustration for Carlos was to not have hearings, because the case was very special and in this case I think it would have made sense."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 11/04/2023 12:20

"@ Ancient701....There is one solution which I would support 100%. If a penalty time is deemed appropriate for any of a proscribed set of misdemeanours then F1 should take a page out of the MotoGP rules book.introducing a 'long lap'. It can be implemented within a time frame of say any of the next 3 laps from when the penalty is announced. It has the benefit of keeping the race running for the recipient and can be served within the race result. In the case of a last lap infringement it could then be a time penalty as we have now. I first started watching F1/GP's in the mid 50's and I'm still here and still enjoying the spectacle even if it has a few flaws. Due to my peripatetic life I rarely have had the chance to actually attend races but over the last 40 odd years I have never missed watching a race from somewhere around the world. Senectitude hasn't dampened the thrill when the lights go out!!!"

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2. Posted by ancient70!, 11/04/2023 8:17

"@kenji. Good question, I have been following F1 since the mid 60’s, so I wonder if al the current rules are always relevant? For one, retrospectively applying a time penalty for something that happened early in the race at or near the end of the race, is just not on. Would grid drops be a better solution? One problem I see is that the time penalty covers both racing incidents and technical infringements, and in the latter case can have a massive impact on some’s race. Maybe for racing incident if you punt someone off you end up behind him if he resumes the race. And if the victim is out the the punter should olso be out! This meant a bit tongue in cheek, but it would surely sharpen up driving standards! Generally there is no easy solution but the process needs a rethink in my opinion."

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3. Posted by kenji, 10/04/2023 12:04

"@ancient701...Thanks for the reponse. The fact that if a driver makesa certain mistake and that mistake falls within a certain established category then that attracts a 5 sec penalty, likewise if he commits a worse level of error the driver attracts a 10 sec penalty., etc etc etc. These penalties are the same for all drivers. They are consistent. The perceived inconsistenies that you quote are, I would guess, based on what you have observed and are using for comparison.The FIA have a prodigious amount of data uopn which to preview and base their their decisions. This evidence is not totally available to fans/followers/supporters et al. Ad hoc penalties for infringements would be disastrous. What would you suggest is a better alternative?"

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4. Posted by ancient70!, 10/04/2023 6:45

"@kenji..How can the time penalties cover each driver equally ?? In my mind they do not remove inconsistencies, but introduce them. "

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5. Posted by kenji, 10/04/2023 1:17

"@ancient701...Time penalties are a standard practice which cover all drivers equally. Of course the penalty can have varying degrees of impact but no two laps are identical just like no two races are indentical therefore there will always be some drivers suffering a greater/lesser effect to their race results. The fact is that time penalties remove inconsistencies which are in the first instance determined by and for the reason of the penalty in the first instance."

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6. Posted by ancient70!, 09/04/2023 10:41

"My 10 cent worth, these time penalties are just plain stupid! Their effect varies from non existent, to having to work hard to minimise the penalty effect, to you are just totally screwed, as in Sainz’s case. The problem with time penalties is their effect depends on so many variables ie, when in the race they were applied and what was the race situation, ie running in a DRS train or totally in clear space. It is therefore impossible to apply the same size penalty and always have the same penal effect. It may range from so what, to a total a disaster."

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7. Posted by Apexing, 08/04/2023 19:05

"@Burton Ferrari is an Italian team, they could bring a horse's head with them..."

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8. Posted by Simon in Adelaide, 08/04/2023 0:58

"Ferrari know this is a lost cause, the purpose of the appeal is to placate Carlos."

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9. Posted by Burton, 07/04/2023 13:53

"What exactly can Ferrari bring before the stewards that will be "new and relevant information"? "

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10. Posted by rambler, 07/04/2023 10:01

"Well, the stewards can't blame themselves! "

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11. Posted by Max Noble, 07/04/2023 8:45

"It was not my fault!
…it was…
It was not!…
And in other news Niki to contest James Hunt win from beyond the grave… I should have still got points after my crash…
Iceberg to sue White Star Line over excessive rubbing of Iceberg with creepy British iron ship…
"

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Ferrari seeks review of Sainz penalty

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