Ferrari boss reacts to Carlos Sainz’s penalty in Australian F1 GP: “We see it as a…”

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has reacted to Carlos Sainz's penalty at the 2023 Australian GP. Sainz received a five-second penalty for colliding with Fernando Alonso after the final red flag restart.

Vasseur claims that the team sees the event as a 'racing incident', claiming the FIA didn't give the team time to discuss it in detail.

“Carlos penalty? They didn't give us time to discuss it. We see it as a racing incident. We will discuss it with the marshals but I don't think the FIA can review the penalty."

Carlos Sainz was slapped on the wrist with a five-second penalty at the end of the chaotic 2023 Australian GP. The Spaniard collided with fellow compatriot Fernando Alonso at the red flag restart at the very end of the race.

The Ferrari driver did not give enough space on the inside line and collided with Fernando Alonso, who was competing with the top two drivers. The FIA stated that the actions of the Spanish driver were preventable, which led to a severe penalty for Alonso.

The team was unable to protest the decision, leading to Sainz finishing in P12.

Fernando Alonso defends Ferrari's Carlos Sainz

Fernando Alonso has supported Carlos Sainz after the latter was penalized

Fernando Alonso defended his fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz after he received a five-second penalty from the stewards for colliding with Alonso during the F1 Australian GP.

The incident occurred during a chaotic race at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, where the Ferrari driver and Alonso were both vying for the third position following the final restart.

After the race, speaking to the media, Alonso said:

“Obviously, I didn’t know who touched me in that moment, I just felt [it]. In lap one of the first start, someone touched me in Turn 3 and then in the last restart Carlos apparently touched me in Turn 1. Probably only [in] Jeddah, I had the normal start, in Bahrain also in Turn 4, Lance touched me into Turn 4. So, yeah, I’m very attractive out there. But our car is strong enough, so it doesn’t matter if they keep touching us."

Alonso added:

“Probably the penalty is too harsh because on lap one it is very difficult always to judge what the grip level is and I think we don’t go intentionally into another car because we know that we risk also our car and our final position. So sometimes you ended up in places that you wish you were not there in that moment. And it’s just part of racing. I didn’t see the replay properly, but for me, it feels too harsh.”

With the Scuderia team currently in shambles after the Australian GP, it will be interesting to watch their progress over the course of the year.