That was a bitter pill for Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz. After his team-mate Charles Leclerc dropped out, the Spaniard fought at the front end of the field for large parts, but in the end he had to settle for twelfth place with no points.
The reason for this was a penalty he received after the third standing start for colliding with Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin. The 28-year-old from Madrid was handed a 5-second time penalty and because the race ended behind the safety car, it cost him dearly.
Because Sainz dropped from fourth place to twelfth position due to the extra seconds. That meant that instead of picking up 12 championship points, he went away empty-handed. The Ferrari star, who had already expressed his incomprehension about the decision of the rulers on the radio, reacted with disappointment.
As soon as the checkered flag fell, Sainz said: “To be honest, I don’t want to talk about it because I’m too upset and disappointed and would say things that aren’t good. But this is the most unfair punishment I’ve seen in my life and I don’t think I deserve it. I prefer to talk to the stewards again and then come back and talk to the media because right now I can’t.”
Australien-GP, Albert Park Circuit
01. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, 2:32:37,860 h
02. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes, +0,179 sec
03. Fernando Alonso (E), Aston Martin, +0.769
04. Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin, +3,082
05. Sergio Perez (MEX), Red Bull Racing, +3,320
06. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, +3.701
07. Nico Hülkenberg (D), Haas, +4,939
08. Oscar Piastri (AUS), McLaren, +5.382
09. Guanyu Zhou (RCH), Alfa Romeo, +5,713
10. Yuki Tsunoda (J), AlphaTauri, +6,052
11. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Alfa Romeo, +6,513
12. Carlos Sainz (E), Ferrari, +6,594
Out
Pierre Gasly (F), Alpine, colliding with Ocon
Esteban Ocon (F), Alpine, Kollision mit Gasly
Logan Sargeant (USA), Williams, Collision with De Vries
Nyck de Vries (NL), AlphaTauri, collision with Sargeant
Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas, accident
George Russell (GB), Mercedes, engine failure
Alex Albon (T), Williams, accident
Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, collision with Stroll
Championship status (after 3 of 23 races)
driver
01. Verstappen 69 points
02. Pérez 54
03. Alonso 45
04. Hamilton 38
05. Sainz 20
06. Stroll 20
07. Russell 18
08. Norris 8
09. Hulkenberg 6
10. Leclerc 6
11. Bottas 4
12. Ocon 4
13. Plates 4
14. Gasly 4
15. Zhou 2
16.Tsunoda 1
17. Magnussen 1
18. Albon 1
19. Sargeant 0
20. De Vries 0
Constructors’ Cup
01. Red Bull Racing 123 Punkte
02. Aston Martin 65
03. Mercedes 56
04. Ferrari 26
05. McLaren 12
06. Alpine 8
07. Haas 7
08. Alfa Romeo 6
09. Alpha Tauri 1
10. Williams 1