FIA rejects Ferrari protest

The FIA ​​has rejected Ferrari’s appeal against the fine imposed on Carlos Sainz in Australia, as the team has not provided any new evidence.

Sainz was penalized by the stewards with a five-second lead before colliding with Fernando Alonso exiting the first corner after the second restart. This penalty resulted in the Ferrari driver dropping from fourth to twelfth in the final standings.

After the penalty, which the team and driver considered unfair, Ferrari claimed the right to a review of the case, in which it had to provide new evidence.

During a video hearing on Tuesday morning, Ferrari released telemetry data related to the incident and Sainz’s contact with Alonso. The stewards believed they had not received any new information and dismissed the protest.

“The stewards have access to a lot of data. The data provided by Ferrari is ambiguous at best and, in our view, does not exonerate Sainz, but only confirms our decision that he is wholly at fault in the collision.

He claims he braked harder but was unable to stop the car due to cold tyres. He further claims that the slow warm-up lap contributed to the low tire temperatures.

There are two points.

First, even if true, the telemetry display indicating the braking point is not a major new element.

Secondly, every rider has to take into account the conditions of the track and the temperature of the tires.

By attempting to slow down late, the driver risked losing control of the car, leading to a collision for which a penalty was awarded.

As for the stewards’ decision not to hear Sainz after the race, we think it is superfluous to hear Sainz or any other driver just to confirm that he was wholly at fault in the collision.”