Carlos Sainz lost points after a five-second penalty at the Australian Grand Prix last week. Qian Jun/Getty Images)
Ferrari has filed an official reconsideration request for a five-second penalty at the Australian Grand Prix last weekend, which dropped the Spaniard from fourth to 12th.
< p >Sainz had Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso turn around with only two laps left in the race in what was a chaotic restart after the second of three red flags. Since the last lap then took place behind the safety car, this meant that Sainz, who originally crossed the line in fourth place, did not score.
The Spaniard was furious at the penalty, which he called «a disgrace» and «the most unfair punishment I have ever seen in my life.» Ferrari team principal Fred Wasser said his driver was still «devastated» a few days later.
Wasser, who left Albert Park shortly after finishing on Sunday as he needed to catch a plane, held an open press instead. Thursday's conference where he said Ferrari had filed a petition for a retrial.
The Frenchman said inconsistencies in the actions of stewards in other crashes, one involving two Alpine drivers and another involving Williams' Logan Sargeant and AlphaTauri's Nick de Vries, were the main reason Ferrari felt unhappy. Sainz didn't get a chance to argue his case with the stewards.
“Carlos' biggest disappointment, and you heard about it on the radio, was that he wasn't being listened to,” Vasser said. “Because the occasion was very special. And in that case, I think it would make sense, given that the race was over, it didn't affect the podium, to have the same pitch as [Alpine] Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.»
Ferrari had 14 days to file a petition with the FIA, the world motorsports governing body. “Now it is up to them to decide in the first place whether they can receive a request or not,” Vasser added.
“Then they decide when they want to do it. It could be [at the next race] in Baku, or maybe earlier. We prefer to do it earlier [so we can] focus on something else in Baku.”
Despite a promising pre-season, Ferrari are fourth in the Constructors' Championship with 26 points, 97 points behind Red Bull and 30 points behind third-placed Mercedes.
Telegraph not the result
Sinz can certainly think that it is very difficult for him. The FIA's decision to restore race order from the start of the chaotic lap on which he crashed meant that he was effectively penalized for the incident, which occurred on «a lap that never happened».
And not just fined. Completely jammed. It is believed that five seconds is one of the most lenient punishments available to stewards. But because the race in Australia ended behind the safety car, it was very expensive, and Sainz fell off the field and lost points.
But the fact is that the Spaniard is completely to blame for the collision with Alonso. Sainz went too deep and did not leave his compatriot to go. It was a rather banal case.
The fact that it cost him so much is unfortunate and Ferrari correctly points out the inconsistencies. But it would be a surprise if the FIA reversed the decision or the result of the race.
Formula 1 is already in the dock because of the length of time it takes to make decisions. It is heavily criticized when millions of fans go to bed after a race, only to wake up the next morning to see the result. has changed. Or when he flips the results and then returns them to the same person a few hours later (as happened to Alonso in Saudi Arabia). To change this result a few weeks after the event due to a quick penalty, which actually looked quite nailed at the time, would look ridiculous.
Ferrari may find fines and hearings inconsistent. And they, of course, were very sorry that the five-second rule in this case cost them so much. But if the rules are broken, change them. Not a race result.
Свежие комментарии