Official:FIA Rejects Alonso's Penalty Review Request

The FIA has officially denied Aston Martin F1’s plea for a penalty review concerning Fernando Alonso.

The FIA and the stewards’ office have denied the right of review requested by Aston Martin F1 following the Chinese Grand Prix, during which Fernando Alonso made contact with Carlos Sainz in a maneuver. The team hoped to demonstrate, with a new angle, that their driver had not had enough space on the track.

“The hearing was to determine, at the sole discretion of the stewards (as specified in Article 14.3 of the International Sporting Code), whether ‘a new significant and relevant element was discovered and had not been available’ at the time of the initial decision,” wrote the stewards’ office.

The FIA reminds that the test is conducted under Article 14.1.1 of the International Sporting Code, which “sets a high bar for reviewing the stewards’ decision. This has been the consistent stance adopted in recent requests to exercise a right of review.”

Additionally, the new element brought forth by the complainant must be “significant,” “relevant,” “new,” and “unavailable” at the time of the previous decision. The FIA clearly stipulates that it grants the right of review only “if all these criteria are met.”

In this case, the stewards revealed that the element was “a front-facing camera from car 14,” Alonso’s car, which was not available at the time of the initial decision. Aston Martin deemed it “significant” because it provided “a clearer proof,” “relevant” as it showed the entirety of the incident, and new.

While the stewards accepted its relevance and novelty, they did not consider it significant: “The video would not have made us question our decision. […] Although it shows the incident from a different angle, it did not add anything to the visual perspective we already had.”

Therefore, the FIA has rejected this request, confirming that there will not be a second hearing, as would be the procedure if the right of review were granted. A decision likely to displease Aston Martin and Alonso, already frustrated by the stewards’ inconsistency.