Sainz decision looms for Ferrari as date set for FIA showdown

The Ferrari driver was penalised for crashing into the back of Fernando Alonso following the red flag restart, but he complained at the decision.

The FIA confirmed on Friday that they have received a letter from Ferrari, officially protesting the penalty.

Sainz and a Ferrari representative are required to attend a virtual hearing with the FIA to decide the matter.

Lance Stroll, Sergio Perez, Lando Norris, Nico Hulkenberg, Oscar Piastri, Zhou Guanyu and Yuki Tsunoda were the drivers who profited through points from Sainz’s penalty. Sainz finished in P12.

The FIA originally explained why the penalised Sainz: “For avoidance of doubt, we took into account the fact that this collision took place at the first lap of the restart, when, by convention, the stewards would typically take a more lenient view of incidents.

“However, in this particular case, notwithstanding the fact that it was the equivalent of a first lap incident, we considered that there was sufficient gap for Car 55 to take steps to avoid the collision and failed to do so.”

Sainz reacted after the F1 Australian Grand Prix: “I don’t think I deserve it and is the most unfair penalty I’ve seen in my life. “

His team radio message, after learning of the penalty, was: “No, it cannot be!

“Do I deserve to be out of the points? No, no! It’s unacceptable. Tell them that it is unacceptable. 

“They need to wait until the race is finished and discuss with me. No, please, please, please, please wait and discuss with me! Clearly, the penalty is not deserved and it’s too severe.”