At the second restart in Melbourne, several incidents occurred, Sainz and Alonso, Gasley and Okon, Sargent and de Vries collided with each other, but only Carlos Sainz was fined – the Alpine riders were acquitted after visiting the stewards, and the incident with Sargent was not considered at all. Ferrari accuse the stewards of inconsistency and have filed an appeal.
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari team principal: “Obviously, the reaction of the stewards to the incidents between Gasly and Ocon, as well as Sagent with de Vries, was different. We look forward to at least an open discussion of this issue. For the good of the sport, it is important to avoid these kinds of decisions where three incidents in the same corner have different consequences.
You heard how upset Carlos was when he found out that he was punished without even being allowed to present his arguments. I think it made sense, because the race was over and the sanctions against Carlos did not affect the podium. It was necessary to analyze the situation, as they did with Gasly and Okon.
We have 14 days to appeal. We did it just in time. The hearing may take place during the weekend in Baku or earlier. We would have preferred to do it sooner.
The FIA will review our petition and decide if they can reopen the case. If the case is open, there will be a second hearing with the same stewards on the decision itself.”