F1 LIVE: Ferrari right of review for Carlos Sainz’s Australian GP penalty rejected
The FIA have rejected Ferrari’s appeal against the penalty given to Carlos Sainz at the Australian Grand Prix.
A virtual hearing started this morning at 8am (BST), with the stewards from the race in Melbourne present for the appeal process. Ferrari were hopeful that Sainz’s five-second time penalty – which consequently dropped him from fourth to 12th and out of the points – would be overturned.
However, the FIA noted “no significant and relevant new element” to prompt a new hearing into the incident. The Spanish driver was given the penalty after colliding with Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso after the final grid restart of a chaotic race, leading to a third red flag and a one-lap restart behind a safety car.
Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton’s remarks about Red Bull’s car this year have been dismissed by Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo revealed he is “full steam ahead” with a new scripted F1 series and Guenther Steiner reveals why he dropped German driver Mick Schumacher.
Follow all the latest F1 news with The Independent
F1 LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES
The Spaniard was given a five-second time penalty in Australia and missed out on points
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur speaks out against Red Bull penalty for cost cap breach
Christian Horner hits back at George Russell’s Red Bull comments with jab at Mercedes
16:28 , Kieran Jackson
Christian Horner has hit back at George Russell’s claims that Red Bull were “holding back” with a jab at Mercedes.
Russell suggested after the Australian Grand Prix that he felt that Red Bull still had more speed to come despite a dominant start to the new Formula 1 season that has seen the team take three successive race victories.
The Mercedes driver alleged that Horner’s outfit were deliberately trying to lessen their winning margins to avoid the FIA making tweaks designed to limit Red Bull’s performance.
Team principal Horner has now responded to Russell’s comment by reminding the British driver that it used to be Mercedes leading the field by a distance. A run of eight consecutive Constructors’ Championship crowns for Mercedes came to an end in 2022, Russell’s first season at the team.
“That’s very generous of him,” Horner said of Russell’s theory. “He’d know too well from his team about those kinds of advantages.”
Christian Horner hits back at George Russell’s comments with jab at Mercedes
Daniel Ricciardo ‘full steam ahead’ with scripted F1 show
15:58 , Kieran Jackson
Daniel Ricciardo revealed he is “full steam ahead” with a new scripted F1 series – and casting will begin “pretty soon.”
The Australian, who was dropped by McLaren at the end of last year, is not on the Formula 1 grid in 2023 and instead occupies a third driver role at world champions Red Bull.
The 33-year-old is confident he can find a seat to return to the sport next year but admitted during numerous appearances at the Australian Grand Prix that he has enjoyed prioritising off-track endeavours so far in 2023.
One such activity has been the creation of a new scripted F1 series on American streaming service and Disney-owned platform Hulu, which was first announced last June.
Ricciardo, one of the stars of Netflix’s behind-the-scenes F1 documentary Drive to Survive, will be the executive producer of the as-of-yet unnamed show.
A fictional Drive to Survive? Ricciardo ‘full steam ahead’ with scripted F1 show
Ferrari boss unhappy with ‘light’ Red Bull penalty for cost cap breach
14:31 , Kieran Jackson
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur insists Red Bull’s penalty for breaching the 2021 F1 cost cap was “very low” as Christian Horner’s team look set to run away with the world championship again this season.
Red Bull, who won both titles last year as well as the Drivers’ Championship with Max Verstappen in 2021, were fined £6m and docked 10% of their allotted car development time after being found guilty of a minor overspend of the budget cap.
Despite Horner stating at the time that the punishment could cost them as much as half-a-second in lap time, Red Bull look even more dominant this year with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, at times, lapping a second-a-lap quicker than the rest of the field on raceday.
While Red Bull have won all three opening races, Vasseur’s opening month in charge at Ferrari – where he took over from the axed Mattia Binotto in the off-season – has been challenging with retirements and penalties to contend with for both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Yet speaking to reporters last week, the Frenchman emphasised that the penalty applied to Red Bull was not severe enough.
Ferrari boss speaks out against Red Bull penalty for cost cap breach
Ferrari discover FIA verdict after appeal against Carlos Sainz’s penalty
13:35 , Kieran Jackson
The FIA have rejected Ferrari’s appeal against the penalty given to Carlos Sainz at the Australian Grand Prix.
A virtual hearing started this morning at 8am (BST), with the stewards from the race in Melbourne present for the appeal process.
Ferrari were hopeful that Sainz’s five-second time penalty – which consequently dropped him from fourth to 12th and out of the points – would be overturned.
However, the FIA noted “no significant and relevant new element” to prompt a new hearing into the incident.
The Spanish driver was given the penalty after colliding with Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso after the final grid restart of a chaotic race, leading to a third red flag and a one-lap restart behind a safety car.
More below:
Ferrari discover FIA verdict after appeal against Carlos Sainz’s penalty
BREAKING: Ferrari appeal against Carlos Sainz’s penalty rejected
13:11 , Kieran Jackson
A virtual hearing started this morning at 8am (BST), with the stewards from the race in Melbourne present for the appeal process.
Ferrari were hopeful that Sainz’s five-second time penalty – which consequently dropped him from fourth to 12th – would be overturned.
However, the FIA noted “no significant and relevant new element” to prompt a new hearing into the incident.
Lewis Hamilton’s astonishing claim about Red Bull pace dismissed by Max Verstappen
12:36 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton’s statement that this year’s Red Bull car is the “fastest he’s ever seen” has been dismissed by Max Verstappen.
Red Bull have won three out of three races to open up the 2023 season, with Verstappen victorious in Bahrain and Australia and Sergio Perez triumphant in Saudi Arabia.
In all three grand prix, the RB19 has been rapid and in some cases a second-a-lap quicker than the rest of the field.
This led Hamilton to state after the race in Jeddah last month that he’s “never seen a car so fast”, adding: “When we [Mercedes] were fast, we weren’t that fast. That’s the fastest car I’ve seen compared to the rest.”
Yet double world champion Verstappen, while unbothered by the comparison, believes last year’s world champions are yet to create an aura of dominance like Mercedes did during 2014-2021, when they won eight straight Constructors’ titles.
More below:
Lewis Hamilton’s surprising statement about Red Bull pace dismissed by Max Verstappen
FIA hearing to decide on Ferrari appeal over Carlos Sainz Australian Grand Prix penalty
11:59 , Kieran Jackson
F1’s governing body are in the midst of holding a hearing address Ferrari‘s request to review the time penalty given to Carlos Sainz at the crash-marred Australian Grand Prix.
The FIA said a virtual hearing will take place Tuesday after Ferrari initiated a right of review in the hope of overturning the five-second time penalty handed to Sainz.
The Spanish driver was given the penalty after colliding with Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso on Lap 1 of the final grid restart, leading to the third red flag of a chaotic race on April 2 and a one-lap restart behind a safety car. Only 12 of the 20 starters finished the race.
The penalty demoted Sainz from fourth place with 12 points scored to 12th place and no points. Sainz is in fifth place in the standings with 20 points after three races. The stewards from the Australian Grand Prix will be present in the hearing.
When we will hear the verdict remains to be seen.
George Russell compares new Mercedes car to ‘lame horse’
11:27 , Kieran Jackson
Mercedes driver George Russell has compared driving the W14 Mercedes car to riding a “lame horse”, in a recent interview with the German publication Bild.
For the second successive year, Mercedes’ car hasn’t been up to scatch; the team went into panic mode after the first race of the season in Bahrain in March, where they found themselves six-tenths away from pole position. Russell finished P7 and his teammate Lewis Hamilton finished P5.
Team principal Toto Wolff admitted they had followed the wrong development path with the W14 and changes were swiftly implemented. Performances improved in the next two races, with Russell just finishing outside podium places in the Saudi Arabia race and Hamilton finishing the Melbourne GP in P2.
Russell said that comfort, rather than speed, is the issue with the W14.
“It is comparable to riding a horse. A Mercedes is a faster horse than a Williams. Riding a horse from A to B and it doesn’t zig is like sitting in a Formula 1 car that suits your driving style. One merges into another,” he said.
George Russell compares new Mercedes car to ‘lame horse’
Christian Horner hits back at George Russell’s Red Bull comments with jab at Mercedes
10:59 , Kieran Jackson
Christian Horner has hit back at George Russell’s claims that Red Bull were “holding back” with a jab at Mercedes.
Russell suggested after the Australian Grand Prix that he felt that Red Bull still had more speed to come despite a dominant start to the new Formula 1 season that has seen the team take three successive race victories.
The Mercedes driver alleged that Horner’s outfit were deliberately trying to lessen their winning margins to avoid the FIA making tweaks designed to limit Red Bull’s performance.
Team principal Horner has now responded to Russell’s comment by reminding the British driver that it used to be Mercedes leading the field by a distance. A run of eight consecutive Constructors’ Championship crowns for Mercedes came to an end in 2022, Russell’s first season at the team.
“That’s very generous of him,” Horner said of Russell’s theory. “He’d know too well from his team about those kinds of advantages.”
Christian Horner hits back at George Russell’s comments with jab at Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 title under threat as Felipe Massa assesses legal options
10:44 , Kieran Jackson
Felipe Massa has sensationally revealed he is looking into legal options to overturn the result of the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship – won by Lewis Hamilton.
The Brazilian driver, then racing for Ferrari, missed out on that year’s title by a single point in dramatic circumstances at the final race in Brazil as Hamilton – then driving for McLaren - claimed the point he needed on the final lap in wet conditions.
Yet new remarks, by former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, on that year’s infamous ‘Crashgate’ scandal in Singapore has encouraged Massa to assess all his potential options as to whether the Championship result could be overturned, 15 years on.
Massa, now 41, stated: “I intend to study the situation, study what the laws say and the rules. We have to have an idea of what is possible to do.”
More detail below:
Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 title under threat as Felipe Massa assesses legal options
Daniel Ricciardo ‘full steam ahead’ with scripted F1 show
10:34 , Kieran Jackson
Daniel Ricciardo revealed he is “full steam ahead” with a new scripted F1 series – and casting will begin “pretty soon.”
The Australian, who was dropped by McLaren at the end of last year, is not on the Formula 1 grid in 2023 and instead occupies a third driver role at world champions Red Bull.
The 33-year-old is confident he can find a seat to return to the sport next year but admitted during numerous appearances at the Australian Grand Prix that he has enjoyed prioritising off-track endeavours so far in 2023.
One such activity has been the creation of a new scripted F1 series on American streaming service and Disney-owned platform Hulu, which was first announced last June.
Ricciardo, one of the stars of Netflix’s behind-the-scenes F1 documentary Drive to Survive, will be the executive producer of the as-of-yet unnamed show.
A fictional Drive to Survive? Ricciardo ‘full steam ahead’ with scripted F1 show
Ferrari boss unhappy with ‘light’ Red Bull penalty for cost cap breach
10:30 , Kieran Jackson
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur insists Red Bull’s penalty for breaching the 2021 F1 cost cap was “very low” as Christian Horner’s team look set to run away with the world championship again this season.
Red Bull, who won both titles last year as well as the Drivers’ Championship with Max Verstappen in 2021, were fined £6m and docked 10% of their allotted car development time after being found guilty of a minor overspend of the budget cap.
Despite Horner stating at the time that the punishment could cost them as much as half-a-second in lap time, Red Bull look even more dominant this year with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, at times, lapping a second-a-lap quicker than the rest of the field on raceday.
While Red Bull have won all three opening races, Vasseur’s opening month in charge at Ferrari – where he took over from the axed Mattia Binotto in the off-season – has been challenging with retirements and penalties to contend with for both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Yet speaking to reporters last week, the Frenchman emphasised that the penalty applied to Red Bull was not severe enough.
Ferrari boss speaks out against Red Bull penalty for cost cap breach
Lewis Hamilton’s astonishing claim about Red Bull pace dismissed by Max Verstappen
10:29 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton’s statement that this year’s Red Bull car is the “fastest he’s ever seen” has been dismissed by Max Verstappen.
Red Bull have won three out of three races to open up the 2023 season, with Verstappen victorious in Bahrain and Australia and Sergio Perez triumphant in Saudi Arabia.
In all three grand prix, the RB19 has been rapid and in some cases a second-a-lap quicker than the rest of the field.
This led Hamilton to state after the race in Jeddah last month that he’s “never seen a car so fast”, adding: “When we [Mercedes] were fast, we weren’t that fast. That’s the fastest car I’ve seen compared to the rest.”
Yet double world champion Verstappen, while unbothered by the comparison, believes last year’s world champions are yet to create an aura of dominance like Mercedes did during 2014-2021, when they won eight straight Constructors’ titles.
More below:
Lewis Hamilton’s surprising statement about Red Bull pace dismissed by Max Verstappen
FIA hearing to decide on Ferrari appeal over Carlos Sainz Australian Grand Prix penalty
10:27 , Kieran Jackson
Formula One‘s governing body will hold a hearing on Tuesday morning (8am BST) to address Ferrari‘s request to review the time penalty given to Carlos Sainz Jr. at the crash-marred Australian Grand Prix.
The FIA said a virtual hearing will take place Tuesday after Ferrari initiated a right of review in the hope of overturning the five-second time penalty handed to Sainz.
The Spanish driver was given the penalty after colliding with Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso on Lap 1 of the final grid restart, leading to the third red flag of a chaotic race on April 2 and a one-lap restart behind a safety car. Only 12 of the 20 starters finished the race.
The penalty demoted Sainz from fourth place with 12 points scored to 12th place and no points. Sainz is in fifth place in the standings with 20 points after three races.
Ferrari was frustrated that the penalty was handed out without race stewards hearing from the drivers and also because it had no bearing on the podium positions, since cars are not allowed to overtake behind a safety car and the last lap was a procession to the finish line.
