FIA gives its verdict on Ferrari and Carlos Sainz’s right to review petition

The FIA has finally given its verdict on Ferrari and Carlos Sainz's right to review petition. The organizing body has dismissed the petition, claiming that no new evidence was presented by the Scuderia team.

Sainz was handed a five-second penalty at the end of the 2023 Australian GP for colliding with Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard wasn't happy about the FIA's reckless judgment, leading to a petition from his team to review the incident.

However, the FIA dismissed the petition as it found that Ferrari didn't have any new information to overturn the penalty. The team offered telemetry from Sainz's car following the incident, along with his witness statement. Ferrari also provided witness statements from other drivers such as Fernando Alonso.

The Italian team provided evidence that the Sahara Force India team (now Aston Martin) had previously presented verbal testimonies which worked in their favor. However, the FIA still finds Carlos Sainz 'wholly' at fault.

The FIA's official document read:

"The Competitor says that there is precedent for these matters being considered new significant and relevant elements. It points to the Stewards’ Decision dealing with the petition by Sahara Force India F1 Team seeking a right of review as a precedent for the proposition that the verbal testimony of a driver and relevant telemetry can amount to a significant and relevant new element.

"The Sahara Force India F1 team matter involved a post-race hearing into an incident (in other words, it was not clear to the Stewards who was at fault for the collision in question). The Competitor’s driver was not available to attend the hearing because he had been taken to hospital following the incident. The hearing proceeded without the ability for the Competitor to speak with its driver to obtain a version."

Ferrari boss takes a look at Red Bull's cost cap penalty

According to Scuderia team boss Fred Vasseur, Red Bull's continued lead in both championships, with Max Verstappen remaining in dominant form, is a result of the lenient penalty they received for violating the 2021 cost cap.

Vasseur believes that the fine and reduction in wind tunnel testing time handed to Red Bull did not have a significant impact on their performance and has allowed them to maintain their dominance from the previous season.

Speaking to the Italian wing of Motorsport.com, the Ferrari boss opined:

"I think the penalty imposed was not so heavy. A tenth of an hour less to use in the wind tunnel is a tenth, but in the end, if you can't use the tunnel you move that budget to another area, you're still allowed to spend that money somewhere else. In the end, I don't think it makes that much difference."

However, it is to be noted that the Austrian team is yet to face the brunt of the penalty, with consequences expected to be seen later in the season.