FIA hands out 12 penalties for track limit offences after F1 Austrian GP
Max Verstappen dominated the Red Bull Ring race to win over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and team-mate Sergio Perez, but the provisional result was soon plunged into doubt.
Aston Martin launched a protest in relation to incidents of breaches of track limits – predominately at Turns 9 and 10 – not being correctly identified and penalised.
The FIA then revealed that it had been unable to review in excess of 1200 reports of violations of drivers having strayed over the painted white lines with all four wheels during the 71-lap race.
The stewards, meanwhile, were presented with a list of deleted lap times from race control that showed cases of infringements that were not previously brought to their attention.
These have now been reviewed and a further 12 penalties awarded on the following basis:
Three infringements should have resulted in a black-and-white warning flag. Four infringements earn a five-second penalty. Five infringements earn a 10-second penalty. Thereafter, a "reset" has been allowed due to the "excessive number of infringements" meaning four fouls earn another five-second penalty.As a result of the full review, Sainz has dropped two places to sixth in the final classification.
He was initially handed a five-second penalty, which he served at his second pitstop. But that has now been upped to a 10s hit.
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
The Spaniard subsequently falls behind McLaren driver Lando Norris and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso.
Similarly, Mercedes driver Hamilton has been moved from a five to 10-second penalty to fall a place behind his team-mate George Russell to eighth.
Esteban Ocon is the biggest casualty of the new evidence presented to the stewards. He has copped four separate penalties that combine for a 30s hit. His 12th place becomes 14th.
Pierre Gasly (now 10th in the final results), Williams duo Alex Albon (11th), Logan Sargeant (13th) and AlphaTauri drivers Nyck de Vries (17th) and Yuki Tsunoda (19th) have also been penalised.
Teams retain the right to appeal these latest decisions within a specific time frame.
Motorsport.com understands teams were frustrated by the delayed policing of track limits since they might have otherwise been able to warn drivers when they were shown a black-and-white flag that they were only one strike away from receiving a five-second penalty.
The stewards added that they "very strongly recommend that a solution be found to the track limits".
The FIA has previously lobbied Red Bull Ring management to install gravel traps on the exit of Turns 9 and 10 – as is used at the slower Turn 4. But these have not come to fruition owing to the circuit also hosting motorcycle championship events including MotoGP.
Revised Austrian GP classification
