Damon Hill and Jean Alesi believe Carlos Sainz's Melbourne penalty is "understandable"

Analyzing the events that took place at the Australian Grand Prix on the most recent episode of the F1 Nation podcast, Damon Hill also shared his thoughts on the mistake made by Carlos Sainz in the final part of the Melbourne event. As a reminder, the Spaniard was in fourth place at the restart after the second red flag, then made contact with the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso at Turn 1 receiving a five-second penalty which, considering the fact that the Australian Grand Prix ended behind the Safety Car, caused him to slip out of the points zone (P12).

Damon Hill’s comments on Carlos Sainz’s maneuver
Upon receiving the news, Carlos Sainz was shocked by the stewards’ decision, calling it the “greatest disgrace” he has seen in sport “for many years” now. Damon Hill, however, believes the Ferrari driver has only himself to blame. “I’m sorry, but I think it was Carlos’s mistake,” the ’96 world champion said for the F1 Nation podcast. He then added: “He went too deep, Fernando (Alonso, ed) couldn’t do much more to get out of the way”.

At the press conference, the former Ferrari driver defended Carlos Sainz, defining the penalty “too harsh” given the fact that it was a crash at the restart.

Damon Hill, however, disagrees. And to explain his vision, he uses a comparison between the Ferrari driver’s maneuver and the one Lewis Hamilton made on Max Verstappen during the first start of the race. “You don’t have to go too deep and put yourself in a compromising position. It’s almost identical to the move Lewis made on Max, but Lewis got it right.”

At the final restart of the race, the order used was that of lap 56, with the events of lap 57 effectively erased from the race. Despite this, Carlos Sainz was still punished for the accident with the number 14 Aston Martin. Damon Hill expressed himself in the following terms: “This is a good aspect to underline: if that thing never happened, then why can you receive a penalty for something that never happened? I think they will answer like this: every time a car is on the track, we have the right to impose a penalty. For example, even Free Practice counts for nothing, but it can still apply a penalty to you” – he explained.

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Another former Formula 1 driver who opened up on the events of the Australian Grand Prix is a Jean Alesi. Unlike many, the former Ferrari man agreed with Damon Hill and described the work of the FIA stewards and the penalty imposed on Carlos Sainz at the end of the race as “understandable”. Here are some of the most important comments from his his usual post-race analysis for the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera.

Jean Alesi’s view
“The Australian Grand Prix sparked a lot of controversy over the behavior of the race direction. I understand the impression of having seen a chaotic race but I don’t share the objections. In my opinion, the race director applied the regulations perfectly”, Jean Alesi begins. He then explains the reason for his statement: “In Melbourne, when gravel and other debris invade the track, it is a must to use the red flag. As happened after the Albon and Magnussen accidents, after the collisions at the end. There are no alternatives and the risks for those who run are high”.

Even on the five-second penalty imposed on Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari, the Frenchman has a different idea than most insiders: “I think it’s understandable. As happens in football or other sports, a penalty can also come at the end of the match when there is an impropriety. And, honestly, it was Carlos Sainz who made a mistake shortly after the third restart.”

To conclude with, Jean Alesi wanted to reply to the many fans who did not agree with how the race stewards managed the key moments of the Australian Grand Prix: “The fact is that after the non-race in Spa and after the Abu Dhabi 2021 finale, the — huge — crowd became the judge. This widens and multiplies the debate. Well, of course, but I don’t always think it’s appropriate to challenge whoever manages and applies the rules, especially when there are concrete reasons for making a decision to stop the race.” – the former Ferrari driver concluded.