Karun Chandhok highlights what made Carlos Sainz’s penalty ‘seem even less fair’

That Logan Sargeant wasn’t penalised for crashing into the back of Nyck de Vries at the second restart in Melbourne but Carlos Sainz was for tipping Fernando Alonso into a spin makes the Spaniard’s penalty “seem even less fair”.

That’s according to former F1 driver turned pundit Karun Chandhok.

Sainz was fuming with the race stewards after he was deemed to be “wholly to blame” when he “drove into Car 14” on the second restart, Alonso sent spinning with Sainz handed a five-second penalty.

With the race resuming with a final restart but only for the drivers to cross the line, the penalty meant Sainz fell from fourth to 12th.

Speaking immediately after the race, he told the media including PlanetF1.com: “It’s the most unfair penalty I’ve seen in my life. I think it’s too unfair and I don’t feel well to speak.”

Alonso, the victim in Sainz’s antics,also felt it “too harsh”while Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur called for “consistency” given that Sainz was penalised almost immediately after the contact and one race prior the stewards had taken 30 laps to decide Aston Martin had broken the rules by touching Alonso’s car during a penalty period.

Now another instance of inconsistency has been pointed out with Sargeant having driven into the back of De Vries on that same restart but his actions going unnoticed by the stewards.

应对Twitte视频r that stated ‘Logan Sargeant should absolutely get 3-place grid penalty for the next race, regardless if its for P1 or for P20 you’ve got to have consistency’, Chandhok agreed consistency is needed.

“这是一个非常公平的观点,”他写道。“Penalties should be consistent across the field.

“The fact this was completely ignored makes the penalty for Carlos Sainz seem even less fair.

“I should say that whilst I agree that Carlos was more at fault for that incident, the part I think is unfair is that a five second penalty during a Safety Car finish seems to be disproportionate to the crime.”

PlanetF1.com recommends

Fred Vasseur blasts FIA inconsistency: ’30 laps for Alonso, five seconds for Sainz decision’

Australian GP driver ratings: Hamilton heroics as Sainz’s great race goes to waste

FIA explain why Carlos Sainz was ‘wholly to blame’ for costly Australian GP penalty

But while the stewards didn’t get that one right, Chandhok believes they were right to restart the grand prix for that final lap even though it was pretty much a non-entity.

“I know it worked out badly for Alpine, but I think the way that race has been reset is fair and the correct thing,” Chandhok said on Sky Sports F1.

“Because, for Fernando and for Stroll and all of those people, when you haven’t crossed that first sector for the order to be jumbled up.

“All of a sudden, if you were to push up the Alfas and McLarens much further up the field. I’m not sure that would’ve been the fairest conclusion there.

“I think that’s a satisfactory end.”