Ferrari is openly furious with the FIA weeks after the conclusion of the Australian Grand Prix saw Carlos Sainz stripped of a points finish with a controversial punishment.
With Carlos Sainz in fourth place and only a few laps to go, the drivers lined up on the grid for a race restart after the second red flag.
However, shortly after the race resumed, Sainz made contact with the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso, sending his fellow Spaniard spinning off the track.
The stewards handed Sainz a five second penalty for the incident, which, due to the race ending behind the safety car, meant he was demoted from P4 to the last of the classified cars.
The saga meant that Ferrari left Australia with zero points following Charles Leclerc’s exit on lap one when Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin sent him into the gravel trap.
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Ferrari appealed to the FIA, asking for a right to review the penalty, but this was rejected.
In a statement on social media, Sainz stated that he was “very disappointed that the FIA did not grant [Ferrari] a right to review.”
“Two weeks later, I still think the penalty is too disproportionate and I believe it should have at least been reviewed on the basis of the evidence and reasoning we have presented.
“We have to continue working together to improve certain things for the future.
“The consistency and decision making process has been a hot topic for many seasons now and we need to be clearer for the sake of our sport.”
Sky Sports presenter and Formula 1 pundit Karun Chandhok has sided with Sainz over the situation, calling for the FIA to alter its approach to these incidents in the future.
“I do think that if races finish behind the safety car, the stewards should consider a 3 place grid drop at the following race instead of the 5 seconds being added,” Chandhok proposed.