“Fred I thought you know wheels”: F1 fans mock Ferrari for using hilarious arguments in their Carlos Sainz penalty review

Ferrari had requested a virtual conference with FIA officials on Tuesday (April 18) morning after Sainz was given a five-second penalty for making contact with Fernando Alonso during the second restart at the previous race in Australia, putting the Aston Martin driver into a spin.

The FIA claims Ferrari provided them with telemetry from Sainz's car at the second restart, a written account of the incident from Sainz's point of view, and "witness statements" from other drivers, presented from post-race interviews given by Alonso and other drivers from their perspectives of what happened.

The stewards initially said that the data the team provided them enhanced the belief behind their choice of punishment. However, piece by piece, they wiped out each component of what the Scuderia supplied them as proof.

Carlos Sainz stated that he said he braked hard but had cold tires due to a slow formation lap and he also said the sun was in his eyes

The FIA released their final conclusion after the meeting. They stated:

“The Stewards have access to a considerable amount of telemetry data. We were also in a position to access such data. The telemetry data presented in the Petition is at best ambiguous and in our view did not exculpate SAI but in fact corroborated our decision that he was wholly to blame for the collision.”

F1 fans were left in disbelief after the FIA's final decision. Fans could not believe Carlos Sainz's reasoning for the collision:

Some fans couldn't believe Ferrari put so much effort into a penalty only to have it dismissed:

Some couldn't find the words and just reacted with hilarious gifs:

The stewards continued to reject the testimony of other drivers using the same justification, arguing that what they had to say was not "relevant" to the choice they ultimately made.

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Why did Ferrari appeal Sainz's Penalty?

Carlos Sainz dragged out of the points race during the Australian Grand Prix due to a penalty for spinning Fernando Alonso, which Ferrari officially protested. Ferrari were enraged after departing Melbourne with no points to show for their efforts. Charles Leclerc got spun on the opening lap and beached his car in the gravel, but the way Carlos Sainz's day ended was especially difficult to accept.

When he reached the finish line, the Spaniard was fourth on the road, but he was not classified as such. He was given a five-second penalty for spinning compatriot Fernando Alonso during a race restart with two laps remaining.

As the race ended behind the safety car, Sainz had no chance to argue about the penalty's impact. So, despite being fourth on the points, he was quickly dropped to 12th position - the last of those who finished.

Ferrari's effort to overturn the outcome of the Australian Grand Prix was unsuccessful as the FIA denied their right to review.