The FIA ​​has rejected Ferrari’s request for a five-second penalty for Sainz in Melbourne for hitting Fernando Alonso at the restart of the final.

Sainz’s penalty saw him drop from fourth in the standings to a pointless 12th after the round was heavily disrupted and ended under the safety car.

Ferrari launched a right-to-review request on the grounds that the decision was made during the race, rather than allowing the driver to defend himself against the stewards.

It cited the 2014 Force India case as a precedent for being able to provide driver witness statements and new telemetry data to overturn such a penalty.

Sainz’s delayed braking point before the turn 1 collision was given to the FIA, and the driver also argued that the slow formation lap caused tire temperatures to be too low and the low sun affected visibility, which also contributed to the crash s reason.

But the FIA ​​dismissed the case on the grounds that it did not meet the requirement of “important and relevant new information not available to the parties seeking to review it at the time of the relevant decision”, while also arguing that all drivers faced the same The problem conditions are not as good as Sainz.

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23

Photography: Glenn Dunbar/ motorsport pictures

Ferrari issued a statement in response, saying it was satisfied that enough new information had been provided, but that it “respected” the FIA ​​process and outcome.

A team statement read: “We acknowledge the FIA’s decision not to grant us the right to review the penalty imposed on Carlos Sainz at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix.

“We are naturally disappointed and feel we have provided the FIA ​​with enough new elements to re-examine the decision, particularly in the context of the specific conditions and multiple incidents that occurred during the eventual restart.

“However, we respect the process and the decision of the FIA.”

Ferrari reached a private settlement with the governing body in early 2020 following an investigation into its engine fuel flow system, adding: “We now look forward to wider discussions with the FIA, F1 and all teams with the aim of further improving the integrity of our sport. regulation to ensure the highest level of fairness and consistency our sport deserves.”