F1: Ferrari wants Sainz penalty scrapped
(GMM) Ferrari is pushing to overturn the penalty that left Carlos Sainz Jr. distraught at the end of the recent Australian GP.
The Spanish driver’s devastated radio and visual reaction to the 5-second penalty, which dropped him from fourth to twelfth place, went viral.
He called it the “most unfair penalty” he had ever seen, and now team boss Frederic Vasseur admits Sainz was indeed “desperate” on Sunday evening.
“We filed a request for a review of the decision,” the Frenchman told RMC Sport. “We sent it to the FIA.”
The penalty was for tapping Fernando Alonso into a spin at the race re-start in Melbourne.
![](https://www.autoracing1.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/f1/australia/sainz4-1.jpg)
“We hope to at least have an open discussion with the FIA,” said Vasseur.
“It’s for the good of the sport to avoid having this type of decision where you have three incidents at the same turn and a decision only for one.
“We had the impression that the incident between Gasly and Ocon was treated a little differently.”