Alonso Penalised for “Potentially Dangerous” Driving in F1 Australian GP
In the closing moments of the Melbourne race, Fernando Alonso found himself in a fierce battle with George Russell for sixth place. In an attempt to defend his position, Alonso made a tactical move by braking earlier for Turn 6 on the penultimate lap to increase his speed on the following straight.
However, Russell was caught off guard by this maneuver and ended up crashing due to the disrupted airflow caused by Alonso’s car. As a result, the stewards launched an investigation into the incident and deemed Alonso’s driving to be “potentially dangerous.”
After reviewing the evidence and hearing Alonso’s explanation, the stewards imposed a drive-through penalty on the two-time F1 world champion, which was converted into a 20-second time penalty after the race. This penalty dropped Alonso from sixth to eighth in the final standings, with his Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll moving up to sixth and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda to seventh.
Telemetry data revealed that Alonso had significantly slowed down by lifting 100 meters earlier than usual and tapping the brakes. Despite his disappointment with the verdict, Alonso maintained that he did not engage in any dangerous driving.
Alonso expressed his perspective, stating, “George caught me quickly, and I was aware of his presence. I was simply trying to maximize my exit speed from Turn 6 to defend my position against him. It was a hard but fair racing move, and I did not consider it to be dangerous.”
Team principal Mike Krack expressed his surprise at the stewards’ decision but stated that Aston Martin would not be appealing the penalty. He commended both Alonso and Stroll for their performance, which contributed to the team scoring 12 valuable championship points.
In the end, despite the disappointing outcome for Alonso, the team chose to focus on the positive aspects of the race and the points earned, emphasizing the excellent teamwork and strategic decisions made on the track.
Summary:
Fernando Alonso was penalised for his “potentially dangerous” driving during the F1 Australian GP, resulting in a 20-second post-race penalty that dropped him from sixth to eighth in the final standings. Despite his disappointment, Alonso defended his actions as hard but fair racing, while the Aston Martin team chose to focus on the positive outcome of scoring 12 championship points.
