Carlos Sainz has revealed his disappointment after the FIA did not give Ferrari the ‘right to review’ his Australian Grand Prix penalty. The Spaniard, who was running fourth for most of the race in Melbourne, ended up finishing outside the points after he was handed a five-second penalty right toward the end.
Since the race finished under a safety car, a five-second penalty was enough to drop him from fourth to 12th. Sainz was extremely disappointed with the penalty as he believed it was ‘too harsh’ for the mistake he made. The 28-year-old was deemed guilty of ‘causing a collision’ after he made contact with Fernando Alonso.
‘Still think the penalty is too disproportionate’: Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz took to his Instagram handle to reveal his disappointment over FIA’s decision. He put up a story where he wrote, “Very disappointed that the FIA didn’t give us a right to review. Two weeks later, I still think the penalty is too disproportionate”.
The Spaniard added that even if the stewards thought at the time that he deserved a penalty for his mistake, the FIA should have at least given his team the right to review based on the information Ferrari presented. The 28-year-old then urged the FIA to work together with the teams ‘to improve certain things for the future’.
Sainz explained his point by adding that there must be more consistency in the decision-making progress. He believes that this has been a ‘hot topic’ for several seasons now and that they needed to find a way to be ‘clearer’.
Sainz ended his post by stating that what happened in Australia was a thing of the past and that he was now completely focused on the next race in Baku. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will take place from April 28 to 30.
Sainz delivered an emotional radio message after he was told of his penalty
Carlos Sainz’s disappointment in receiving his penalty at the Australian Grand Prix was there for everyone to see when he delivered his emotional radio message. While speaking to his engineer after being told he had a five-second penalty, the Spaniard replied, “No, it cannot be. No, it is unacceptable. They need to wait until the race is finished and discuss it with me”.
Sainz’s disappointment did not end there as he also added, “Please ask them, please. Please, please, please to wait and discuss with me. Clearly the penalty is not deserved. It is too severe”.
