The FIA rejects Ferrari’s request for a review following Sainz’s penalty
After analyzing new evidence, the FIA has decided to reject Ferrari's request for a review of the penalty imposed on Carlos Sainz during the Australian Grand Prix.
A few days ago, the FIA had accepted to summon the leaders of the Scuderia Ferrari and Carlos Sainz in order to determine whether it was necessary to reconsider the penalty received by the Spanish driver in Melbourne. Held via video conference, this meeting allowed the instance of Place de la Concorde to hear from Ferrari’s driver number 55, team principal Frédéric Vasseur, as well as Laurent Mekies, the sporting director of the team.
In order for the commissioners to reconsider their decision, Ferrari had to present new evidence that was not available at the time of the incident. Thus, the telemetry data from the Spanish driver was presented to prove that he had braked harder due to cold tires caused by a slow formation lap. However, for the FIA, telemetry data is not a significant new element according to Article 14 of the Sporting Code. Furthermore, the governing body considers that the track conditions were the same for everyone and that it was up to each driver to adapt.
For these various reasons, the FIA concludes that there are no new significant and relevant elements that were not available to the parties requesting the review at the time of the relevant decision. The request is therefore rejected. The penalty for Sainz is thus confirmed and the classification of the Australian Grand Prix 2023 is definitively ratified.
