2x Champion Fernando Alonso Reckons Carlos Sainz Received A “Harsh” 5-second Penalty

Carlos Sainz was gutted after a late penalty dropped him out of points during the 2023 Australian GP. The Ferrari driver hit the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso during the 56th lap race restart.

The stewards announced that Sainz would receive a 5-second time penalty for causing the collision. This dropped the Spaniard, who was running from 3rd place to 12th.

Sainz was not convinced by the FIA’s decision to uphold his penalty. And the Ferrari driver was joined by fellow Spaniard Alonso who agreed that the penalty imposed on Sainz was too harsh.

 

Carlos Sainz calls the decision “the biggest disgrace” he has witnessed

As soon as the race was done, Carlos Sainz stormed to the FIA office to have a word with the stewards. As the last lap of the race took place under the safety car, the Spaniard was in a disadvantageous position.

The Spaniard claims the decision was unfair as it allowed the other cars to stick close to him within the 5-second barrier. As a result, Sainz finished the race dead last and outside of points.

However, the stewards decided that Sainz was “wholly to blame” as Alonso was“significantly” ahead at the first corner. The Ferrari driver carried too much speed as he drove into Alonso on the exit. Thus deeming his actions to be inexcusable and not a racing incident.

He spoke to the media in a hurry post-race. Sainz said, “It’s too unfair and I don’t feel well to speak. I just needed to come to the TV pen because if I didn’t come, they’d give me another penalty.”

However, the Spaniard refrained from making any further comments regarding the penalty. He added, “I’m not going to speak or comment on it until I go the stewards and they revert this penalty. It is the biggest disgrace I’ve seen in the sport for many years.”

Fernando Alonso lends support to Sainz

Fernando Alonso managed to keep his car running after colliding with Carlos Sainz. The positions were reset as the session was red-flagged before the first sector of the race was completed. This allowed Alonso to hold on to his P3.

But the Spaniard felt his fellow countryman was given harsh treatment by the stewards. He said, “The penalty is too harsh, I think because, on lap 1, it is very difficult always to judge the grip of the car. We don’t go intentionally into another car. We know that we also risk our car and our final position.”

Alonso reasoned, “Sometimes you end up in places where you wish you were not there at that moment. It’s just part of racing. I haven’t seen the replay properly, but for me, it felt too harsh”.

Ferrari finished out of points as both Charles Leclerc and Sainz failed to secure points. Leclerc was forced to retire in the first lap of the race after suffering a spin.