F1: Aston Martin Appeal Fernando Alonso's Penalty for Carlos Sainz Collision in Chinese Grand Prix

Aston Martin has officially requested a "Right of Review" in response to the stewards' decision to penalise Fernando Alonso with a 10-second penalty after his incident with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz during the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix. The altercation between Alonso and Sainz took place as they fiercely battled for third place in the sprint race at the Shanghai International Circuit. The incident at Turn 9 led to Alonso's retirement from the race, while Sainz was able to secure fifth place. According to the stewards, Alonso was responsible for the collision, which resulted in a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points. His total penalty points for the year now stands at six.

The FIA statement read: "The Stewards have received a petition for a Right of Review in accordance with Article 14 of the FIA International Sporting Code, from Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team on 23 April 2024 in respect of the decision of the Stewards of the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix, Document 40 (alleged breach of Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 2 d) of the International Sporting Code in relation to Car 14).

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"The team representative is required to report to the Stewards on Friday, May 03, 2024 at 08:00 EDT (14:00 CEST) in relation to the above.

"The hearing will be held virtually via video conference, details of which will be provided by separate communication.

"It should be noted that this hearing will be held in two parts: The first part will be to hear evidence as to whether there is a "significant and relevant new element which was unavailable to the party seeking the Review at the time of the decision concerned."

F1: What Happens Next?

Now, to change the stewards' old decision, the team must present fresh proof to them. The team managers of Aston Martin and Ferrari will meet for a preliminary hearing on May 3 to determine if the evidence put forward by the British team justifies the stewards' reconsideration.

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"It should be noted that this hearing will be held in two parts," the stewards wrote in their statement. "The first part will be to hear evidence as to whether there is a 'significant and relevant new element which was unavailable to the party seeking the Review at the time of the decision concerned.

"Should the Stewards determine, in accordance with Article 14.3 of the FIA International Sporting Code, that such an element exists, a second part of the hearing will be convened at a time to be advised. Any other 'concerned party' may seek the permission of the Stewards to be present for the second part of the hearing, should one be convened."