8 F1 drivers including Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz receive post-race penalties for track infringements

F1 Grand Prix of Austria - Sprint Shootout
Lewis Hamilton received a time penalty as well

In a shocking turn of events, the result of the Austrian Grand Prix has been dramatically altered as F1 stewards handed out a series of penalties hours after the conclusion of the race.

Following the issuance of seven in-race time penalties and the deletion of 83 lap times due to track limit violations, an additional 12 penalties have now been imposed. The drivers have been penalized for "leaving the track without a justifiable reason multiple times."

Shortly after the conclusion of the thrilling race at the Red Bull Ring, news broke that Aston Martin had lodged an official protest. The team's protest was upheld, leading to the subsequent penalties for various infringements committed by drivers during the race.

The stewards, in their explanation, stated that due to the excessive number of track limit infringements, a "reset" was necessary, and the counting of infractions would begin anew.

Consequently, drivers would incur a five-second time penalty after every four infringements and a 10-second penalty after every five infringements.

The penalties have been added to the drivers' elapsed race times, causing a significant reshuffle in the final standings. Astonishingly, four drivers received five-second penalties, while five drivers were handed 10-second penalties, altering their race results and championship points.

Carlos Sainz, the Ferrari driver who put up a spirited performance, has been handed a 10-second penalty, which has pushed him down the order.

Similarly, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who had a strong showing for Mercedes, suffered the same fate. He received a 10-second penalty that considerably impacted his race outcome.

Among the drivers receiving a 10-second penalty are Pierre Gasly of Alpine, Alex Albon of Williams Racing, and his teammate Logan Sargeant. None of the penalties suffered by Williams drivers have significantly affected their positions in the final standings.

Other penalties include a 30-second penalty for Alpine driver Esteban Ocon, who remains unaffected as he finished outside the top 10. Additionally, Nyck de Vries of AlphaTauri has been handed a 15-second penalty, while his teammate Yuki Tsunoda will incur a five-second penalty.

Lewis Hamilton drops down to eighth place after penalty, Fernando Alonso moves up

Fernando Alonso in F1 Grand Prix of Austria
Fernando Alonso in F1 Grand Prix of Austria

The aftermath of the Austrian Grand Prix has seen a significant reshuffling of the final standings, as a result of the mammoth 12 penalties imposed on eight drivers. The revised penalties have brought about a major upheaval in the race results, leading to substantial changes in the championship standings.

Among the drivers to receive a fresh penalty is the renowned Lewis Hamilton, who had 10 seconds added to his race time. This penalty has had a direct impact on his final position, causing him to drop down a place in the standings.

As a result, his Mercedes teammate George Russell moves up to seventh place, benefiting from Hamilton's penalty.

However, it is Carlos Sainz who faces the greatest setback with a fresh 10-second time penalty. The penalty has caused him to slip from fourth place to sixth, resulting in a loss of four world championship points.

On the other hand, the driver of the day, Lando Norris, and Fernando Alonso have gained from Sainz's penalty, moving up in the standings.

Pierre Gasly also incurred a penalty that affects the points' positions. With an additional 10 seconds added to his race time, Gasly finds himself surpassed by Lance Stroll, who moves up into ninth place. Unfortunately for Gasly, this penalty has resulted in the loss of a valuable championship point.

The remaining four penalties were all assigned to Esteban Ocon, resulting in an astounding extra 30 seconds added to his race time.

However, these penalties will have no impact on the championship standings, as Ocon finished outside the points.

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