The Formula 1 team Ferrari, which appealed the five-second penalty imposed on its driver Carlos Sainz at the Australian Grand Prix in early April, will be heard by the stewards of the GP on Tuesday, the Federation announced on Friday. International Motor Show (FIA).
The 28-year-old Spaniard and the representatives of the Scuderia will be heard by the commissioners “during a videoconference hearing which will take place on Tuesday April 18 at 8:00 a.m. (…) in order to determine whether there is a new relevant element in link to the decision taken after the incident,” the FIA wrote in a press release.
If Ferrari manages to demonstrate the existence of a significant new element, the stewards will re-examine the incident. A new hearing will then be organized and the sanction could be – depending on the different scenarios – maintained, modified or cancelled.
Sainz had been penalized for having crushed the Aston-Martin of his compatriot Fernando Alonso and having sent the former world champion spinning. Alonso had however finished third in the race.
The five-second penalty had dropped the Spaniard from 4th to 12th place, out of the points, as the race was finished under safety car rule.
Ferrari believes Sainz was treated harsher than Frenchman Pierre Gasly, not penalized as he snagged team-mate and compatriot at Alpine Esteban Ocon late in the race. Both Alpines had to retire.
“We hope at least to have an open discussion with them (FIA authorities, editor’s note)”, explained the boss of the Italian team Frédéric Vasseur last week.
“It’s also for the good of the sport, to avoid having this type of decision where you have three incidents on the same corner and not the same decision (…) We had the impression that the incident between Gasly and Ocon was treated a little differently,” he also explained.
