A chaotic restart after a second red flag at the Australian Grand Prix saw Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz collide with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, temporarily knocking the Spaniard out his fight for third place.
The incident had further ramifications for the field, as it caused Pierre Gasly to be pushed off the track before hitting his Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon, taking both cars out of the race.
The debris caused by the collisions meant a third red flag was waved for the first time in a Formula 1 race, sending all of the cars back to the pit lane with only one lap of the Grand Prix remaining.
After a long deliberation from officials, racing didn’t resume, with the cars heading to the chequered flag behind the safety car in the formation they were in before the second red flag restart.
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This meant that, while Sainz was in P4, with all of the cars bunched together as they crossed the finish line, his five second penalty dropped him down to P12, scoring no points.
With Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc having been knocked out of the race in a lap one incident, Sainz’s penalty meant the team had a pointless weekend in Australia, hampering their chances in the Constructors’ Championship.
Sky Sports presenter Martin Brundle criticised officials for giving Sainz the penalty, stating on Twitter that it’s “an inconsistent penalty for Sainz from a standing start in the early corners.”
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Sainz expressed plans to protest the decision with the stewards after the race, leaving his interview with Sky Sports to plead to his case.
“I prefer not to talk right now,” Sainz said. “I’m too disappointed. I’m going to say bad things. It’s the most unfair penalty I’ve seen in my life.”
Ferrari’s tough weekend in Australia leaves them in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.