FIA Refuses Ferrari's Appeal Request In Disastrous Blow For Carlos Sainz

In a disappointing blow for Ferrari, the FIA has rejected their request for a reconsideration of Carlos Sainz's penalty at the Australian Grand Prix. The penalty was handed down after Sainz collided with Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin during the final standing restart, resulting in his demotion from 4th to 12th place.

Despite Ferrari's efforts to prove that significant and new evidence had come to light, the FIA ruled that the evidence provided was not sufficient to justify a review of the penalty. The virtual hearing on Tuesday morning saw the FIA deny Ferrari's case, which relied on three pieces of evidence: telemetry data from Sainz's car, a witness statement from Sainz, and post-race interviews with other drivers.

Ferrari argued that there was a precedent for considering such evidence in previous cases, citing an incident involving the then-Force India team. However, the FIA was not convinced, and the penalty remains in place.

This decision means that the final results of the 2023 Australian Grand Prix stand, much to the chagrin of Ferrari and their supporters. Sainz's demotion to 12th place will remain, and the team will have to regroup and focus on the upcoming races.

The Maranello-based squad shared a statement to Twitter, writing:

"We acknowledge the FIA decision not to grant us a right of review in relation to the penalty imposed on Carlos Sainz at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix.

"We are naturally disappointed, and felt that we had provided sufficient significant new elements for the FIA to re-examine the decision especially in the context of the particular conditions and multiple incidents that occurred during the final restart.

"We are however respectful of the process and of the FIA decision. We are now looking forward to entering broader discussions with the FIA, F1, and all the Teams, with the aim of further improving the policing of our sport, in order to ensure the highest level of fairness and consistency that our sport deserves."

Statement from Scuderia Ferrari ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LFEgGZkzRB
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 18, 2023