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FIA dismisses Sainz’s F1 Australian GP penalty review

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Ferrari has appealed to the governing body for review rights in response to a five-second penalty awarded to Sainz for tagging Fernando Alonso during the final restart of the race in Melbourne.

It was part of several restart incidents that culminated in the grand prix ending after the safety car, with hordes of cars causing Sainz to drop from fourth to 12th in the final standings due to penalties.

Ferrari boss Fred Vassell has revealed his team will appeal the decision after Sainz was awarded a penalty before either the driver or the team defended.

But the FIA ​​rejected Ferrari’s petition on the grounds that the team had not brought “important and relevant new information that would not have been available to the parties seeking to review it when the relevant decision was taken.”

Stewards found Sainz was “solely responsible” for the collision with Aston Martin driver Alonso, who eventually reclaimed third as the safety car classification that determined the final result was based on the order of the previous restart grid Minus the crash.

It was concluded after a virtual hearing with the FIA ​​that even allowing for the increased likelihood of an accident on the first lap of the restart, Sainz had “sufficient gaps” to take evasive action, but he “didn’t this way”.

Ferrari presented its case based on telemetry data, Sainz’s witness statements and statements from other drivers provided in post-race media interviews.

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

Photography: Ferrari

Such evidence, in the form of oral testimony and additional data, has previously been used by Force India to overturn similar accusations, as cited by Ferrari.

The example of Force India comes from Sergio Perez’s final-lap encounter with Felipe Massa at the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix, with the Mexican being sent five places back for his next race in Austria.

But the FIA ​​found the “real situation” in Australia to be “significantly different” from the arguments in favor of the Scuderia, notably the Force India driver who was taken to hospital after the crash, so could not provide their version for a post-race decision.

But this time around, the stewards were content to penalize Sainz while the race was still in progress and saw no need for the 2022 British Grand Prix winner to make a statement.

These faster decisions are made “routinely” and are “encouraged” when the cause of a collision is known so that penalties can be issued “as soon as possible”.

The FIA ​​also decided that the additional telemetry data provided by Ferrari was “ambiguous at best” in exonerating Sainz, but instead “confirmed” a decision he was entirely at fault.

Sainz did argue that he braked harder at Turn 1, but because of the slow formation lap at the restart, he was on cooler Pirelli tires – a complaint from many drivers – and he was unlikely to avoid Drive Alonso. He also said low sunlight had affected visibility.

The FIA ​​pointed out that providing braking points does not constitute significant new information and that all drivers will have to make do with the same situation.

The decision reads: “The track and tire conditions are something that each competitor needs to consider and adapt to.

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23

Photography: Mark Sutton/ motorsport pictures

“When (Pierre Gasly) tried to brake late during the race, (Sainz) took the risk that he lost control of the car as a driver.

“In this case, that risk materialized, then there was a collision, and then there was a penalty.”

Sainz took to social media on Tuesday night to express his disappointment with the FIA’s decision.

Sainz wrote: “Very disappointed that the FIA ​​has not granted us review rights.

“After two weeks, I still think the penalty is disproportionate and I think it should at least be reviewed in light of the evidence and reasoning we have presented.

“We have to continue to work together to improve certain things for the future. Consistency and the decision-making process have been a hot topic for many seasons and we need more clarity for the sake of our own sport.

“What happened in Australia is now a thing of the past and I am 100 per cent focused on the next game in Baku.”

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Ocon is on a 'cloud' after podium finish in Monaco

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Esteban Ocon had a fantastic weekend in Monaco. The Frenchman is on the podium again since winning at the Hungaroring in 2021.

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International media see Verstappen excelling: 'Easiest win'

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Max Verstappen won the Monaco Grand Prix for the second time in his career. There was – not for the first time – admiration in the international press for the reigning world champion and his Red Bull Racing team.

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Alonso wouldn’t have won Monaco GP going straight to inters

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When the first signs of showers hit certain areas of the track, Alonso switched from his hard to the medium tyre.

He pitted again soon after the rain picked up and spread across the track.

Alonso retained his second place, but Clarke insisted he would still not be able to beat race winner Max Verstappen had the Spaniard made a single pit stop instead of two.

He stressed that Silverstone made the right decision using the information available at the time.

“We need to look at how the whole thing is going,” Clark said. “Obviously in a situation like this, when you really don’t know what’s going to happen, you try to stay out as long as possible.

“Honestly, we didn’t expect this much rain. So we thought it was just a short shower and it would dry out quickly because the track was so hot. And then usually, you’d say, well, let’s stay One lap, two or three more laps, but the tires are worn out a lot.

“And we saw that the temperature was dropping. So it was a bit of a risk. When the car came in with this information, we said, well, let’s install the medium. But then the car drove away, and it didn’t take long before we saw the rain. Really big. We had to come back.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, 2nd position, spraying champagne on the podium

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, 2nd position, spraying champagne on the podium

Photography: Mark Sutton/ motorsport pictures

Clarke admitted that the team did not expect the rain to intensify in such a way and did not think it would be enough for Inter to hang on.

“Honestly, we thought we could go through with medium because it dries out so quickly,” he said. “But then we misjudged the rain because it took a long time in this part of the track (the pit lane) to start to rain.

“There’s also this area, which has had the least amount of rain. So it might have been a bit of a miscalculation, because we also thought the middleware would wear a lot on this part of the track.

“At the end of the day it was a conscious decision to use the media. Then we saw after one lap that it wasn’t working. We decided to call him back.”

Clarke said Alonso didn’t lose the win: “No, I don’t think it lost. Because if we installed the middleware, Max would also have the middleware. And he has the gap. So I don’t think it will change a lot.

“I think in general we can’t get too greedy, we should look back and see what we were aiming for. We came here to be better than what we’ve done so far. I think we did. And I think Red Bull A little too fast for us.”

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Krack also noted that it was safer to stick to the call for skinheads than to make last-minute changes, which could lead to confusion.

“As I said, the calls are made in a very short period of time. Then you have to live with it and when you decide, you have to execute. Because otherwise you’d have two wet tires and two slicks on the car .

“So once you make a decision, you have to execute. Because anything you try to recover, it’s going to go completely wrong. We’ll look at it, we’ll learn from it, and we’ll try to do better next time.

“We have a good understanding between the drivers and the team. Sometimes the drivers say you let it go. In this case we decided to install the slick. Fernando was happy with that. Then he was also happy to get the middle man back on the field !”

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