Grand Prix confirmed Sainz and Hamilton among drivers demoted

The FIA has officially announced the final standings for the Austrian Grand Prix, and it brings a wave of disappointment and frustration for Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton. Retrospective penalties for violating track limits have reshuffled the rankings, causing Sainz and Hamilton to lose their positions. As a result, Lando Norris finds himself elevated to fourth place, while Fernando Alonso and George Russell also experience a rise in the final results.

This revised classification comes after the FIA took action against eight drivers following the race at the Red Bull Ring. The dominant Max Verstappen claimed victory, with Charles Leclerc from Ferrari and Sergio Perez from Red Bull securing second and third places respectively.

In the aftermath of the intense race, Aston Martin filed a protest regarding the provisional classification. This protest was fueled by the fact that several other drivers had already faced penalties for exceeding track limits.

The stewards, addressing the issue, acknowledged the existence of deleted laps due to track limit violations. These laps were brought to their attention following the protest. Consequently, they requested Race Control to meticulously review all deleted laps and impose the necessary penalties.

Subsequently, the stewards upheld Aston Martin's protest and decided to impose additional penalties for exceeding track limits, affecting the final classification.

The news of Sainz and Hamilton's demotion is undoubtedly disheartening, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of their fans and supporters. The revised results have not only changed the outcome of the race but have also stirred emotions of frustration and curiosity among racing enthusiasts.

Devastating news has just emerged from the FIA, and it's a bitter blow for Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton, and a handful of other drivers. In an unexpected turn of events, the governing body has slapped Sainz, Hamilton, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, Logan Sargeant, Nyck de Vries, and Yuki Tsunoda with additional penalties, further exacerbating their disappointment.

The revised results paint a painful picture for Sainz, who plummets from a hard-earned fourth place to a disheartening sixth. Lando Norris, who experiences a bittersweet rise to fourth, and Fernando Alonso, climbing to fifth, now occupy the positions Sainz once held. Hamilton's dreams are shattered as he tumbles from seventh to eighth, with his teammate George Russell stepping up to claim the seventh spot.

As emotions run high, the consequences extend beyond Sainz and Hamilton. Gasly endures a heart-wrenching drop to tenth, making way for Lance Stroll's ascent to ninth. Ocon's hopes are crushed as he slides from twelfth to fourteenth, while Albon and Sargeant maintain their respective finishes in eleventh and thirteenth places.

The AlphaTauri team suffers its fair share of anguish. De Vries, once positioned fifteenth, falls to a disappointing seventeenth, while Tsunoda's spirits plummet as he descends from eighteenth to nineteenth.

This rollercoaster of emotions leaves fans and drivers alike reeling, grappling with feelings of frustration, disbelief, and a lingering sense of what could have been. The impact of these additional penalties reverberates through the racing community, stirring up an intense mix of disappointment and anticipation for the future.

According to the stewards, the retrospective penalties have been applied as follows:

For four infringements, a five-second time penalty; for five infringements, a 10-second time penalty.

Then a “reset” has been allowed due to the excessive number of infringements. The counting of infringements restarts. After another four infringements, a five-second time penalty will apply; after five, a 10-second time penalty.

The stewards also added that they “very strongly recommend” that a solution be found to the track limits at the Spielberg circuit.

The penalties imposed after the race in full are as follows:

Carlos Sainz – 10-second time penalty

Lewis Hamilton – 10-second time penalty

Pierre Gasly – 10-second time penalty

Alex Albon – 10-second time penalty

Esteban Ocon – 5-second time penalty

Esteban Ocon – 10-second time penalty

Esteban Ocon – 5-second time penalty

Esteban Ocon – 10-second time penalty (30 seconds in total for Ocon)

Logan Sargeant – 10-second time penalty

Nyck de Vries – 10-second time penalty

Nyck de Vries – 5-second time penalty (15 seconds in total for De Vries)

Yuki Tsunoda – 5-second time penalty

The Austrian Grand Prix results are now as follows:

01 Max Verstappen

02 Charles Leclerc

03 Sergio Perez

04 Lando Norris (up from P5)

05 Fernando Alonso (up from P6)

06 Carlos Sainz (demoted from P4)

07 George Russell (up from P8)

08 Lewis Hamilton (demoted from P7)

09 Lance Stroll (up from P10)

10 Pierre Gasly (demoted from P9)

11 Alex Albon (penalty, but no movement in position)

12 Zhou Guanyu (up from P14)

13 Logan Sargeant (penalty, but no movement in position)

14 Esteban Ocon (demoted from P12)

15 Valtteri Bottas (up from P16)

16 Oscar Piastri (up from P17)

17 Nyck de Vries (demoted from P15)

18 Kevin Magnussen (up from P19)

19 Yuki Tsunoda (demoted from P18) Read More