Aston Martin has launched a protest over the results of qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix. The team has lodged a complaint with the FIA concerning Article 39.6 of the Sporting Regulations which state: "Any driver whose car stops on the track during the qualifying session or the sprint shootout will not be permitted to take any further part in that session." It concerns Carlos Sainz crashing in Q2 and hitting the barrier, coming to a halt on the exit of Turn 16. The Spanish driver was able to get going again and make his way back to the pits for repairs, and resumed qualifying once the red flag had been lifted. Sainz then made it through to Q3, taking seventh, at the expense of Aston driver Lance Stroll in 11th, with Fernando Alonso third and Charles Leclerc sixth in the sister cars. Alonso was earlier penalised 10 seconds and earned three penalty points for an incident in the sprint race - although he had already retired. The team, and any other concerned parties must attend the stewards at 18:00 local time in Shanghai, 11:00am UK time. At 21:20 local time, it was confirmed by the FIA that the protest had been dismissed and that Sainz would not be penalised.
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