Scuderia Ferrari had appealed to the governing body for a right to review after Carlos Sainz was given a five-second penalty for the collision with the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso in the final restart of the 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park circuit.
The incident was part of several restart crashes that eventually led to the race ending behind the safety car, with the train of cars meaning Carlos Sainz finished outside the top ten in the final order after the penalty was applied.
Scuderia Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur confirmed a few days ago that the Maranello team would appeal the decision due to the fact that the race stewards had hit Carlos Sainz with the penalty even before the Spaniard or Ferrari could mount a defence. However, the FIA has rejected Scuderia Ferrari’s request, believing that the team did not introduce “significant and relevant new information which was unavailable to the parties seeking the review at the time of the decision concerned.”
The stewards read: “The conditions of the track and the tyres was something that every competitor needed to take into account and adapt to. In trying to brake late while racing [Pierre Gasly], [Sainz] adopted the risk that he, as a driver, would lose control of his car. In this case, that risk materialised, with the consequence of a collision that ensued, for which a penalty follows.”
Here is the official statement issued by Scuderia Ferrari following the decision:
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