Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was hit with a five second penalty for a crash with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso on the final red flag grid restart.
Sainz was set to finish in fourth, with Alonso ahead in third when the final three lap shootout kicked off but the two Spaniards made contact, knocking the Aston Martin out of the order.
The chaos forced Pierre Gasly off the track, with the Frenchman colliding with teammate Esteban Ocon as he rejoined the circuit, wiping both Alpines out of the race.
With a third red flag in place before lap 58/58, Sainz was informed that he had been given a five second penalty, which can’t be appealed by the team.
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“No, it cannot be. Do I deserve to be out of the points? No,” Sainz said over the radio.
“It’s unacceptable. Tell them, it’s unacceptable. They need to wait until the race is finished and discuss it with me.
“Please. Ask them please, please, please, please to wait and discuss it with me.
“Clearly, the penalty is too severe,” he added.
The entire grid was bunched up as a safety car led them home to the chequered flag, relegating Sainz to 12th place with his time penalty.
Stripping Sainz of points made a bad day worse for Ferrari, having seen Charles Leclerc crash into the gravel trap on lap one.
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“I prefer not to talk right now,” Sainz said when questioned about the penalty by Sky Sports.
“I’m too disappointed. I’m going to say bad things. It’s the most unfair penalty I’ve seen in my life.”
The Spaniard then left the interview to go and plead his case to the stewards.
Ferrari’s poor finish in Australia leaves them in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.