Alonso penalized to eighth for ‘abnormal’ change of driving style

Fernando Alonso has been handed a post-race penalty for an “abnormal” change in his driving approach during the Australian Grand Prix, but was not found to be at fault for George Russell’s heavy crash.

In the penultimate lap of the Melbourne race, Russell, running closely behind Alonso, was fighting for seventh place. As they approached Turn 6, the Mercedes lost control at the rear, went through the gravel trap, and collided with the barriers at Turn 7 before rolling to a stop on its side.

The race eventually finished under a Virtual Safety Car, with Carlos Sainz taking the win ahead of his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, capitalizing on Max Verstappen’s early retirement to secure a one-two finish for the Scuderia.

Shortly after the chequered flag, both Alonso and Russell were summoned by the FIA, with an investigation called into the late-race incident. Mercedes believed that Alonso had changed his approach to the corner, lifting off the throttle, braking, and downshifting earlier than in previous laps, allowing Russell to close up and potentially be affected by turbulence from the Aston Martin, leading to the big accident.

After a lengthy investigation, the stewards panel, headed by former F1 driver Johnny Herbert, determined that Alonso had altered his driving style in an “abnormal” manner. Article 33.4 of the Sporting Regulations states: “At no time may a car be driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or in a manner which could be considered potentially dangerous to other drivers or any other person.” As a result, the Spaniard was handed a drive-through penalty, which, due to the end of the race, was converted to a 20-second time addition, dropping him from sixth to eighth, behind his teammate Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull Racing. Additionally, he received three penalty points on his super licence.

The stewards’ report read: “Telemetry data shows that Alonso lifted more than 100 meters earlier than he had done in the race when entering the corner. He also made a small brake application (albeit so small it was not the main cause of his car’s deceleration) in a place where he normally does not brake, and also downshifted in a place where he normally would not. He then upshifted again, accelerated towards the corner, and then lifted again through the corner.”

“Alonso explained that although his plan was to lift earlier, he misjudged it slightly and had to take additional measures to regain speed. Nevertheless, his actions caused a relatively large and unusual closing speed between the two cars,” it continued.

However, the stewards could not determine whether Alonso’s actions were intentional to cause Russell’s crash nor could they hold him responsible for the dirty air that ultimately led to the Mercedes’ accident.

“In particular, the stewards did not consider the consequences of the collision. Furthermore, the stewards do not have enough information to determine whether Alonso’s actions were intended to give Russell trouble, as he told the stewards, or if he was simply trying to get a better exit speed from the corner,” the report stated.

“Was Alonso entitled to try a different way around the corner? – Yes. Should Alonso be held responsible for the dirty air that ultimately caused the accident? – No.”

“However, regardless of his intention, was it abnormal for Alonso to choose to do something – such as lifting, braking, downshifting and all the elements of this maneuver – more than 100 meters earlier than previously, far beyond what was required to lift and coast into the corner? – Yes.”

“According to his own description of the event, he did, and in the opinion of the stewards, given how high-speed that part of the track is, his actions and driving style were at least ‘potentially dangerous’.”

Alonso was disappointed with the stewards’ decision, feeling he hadn’t done anything dangerous.

“George caught me very quickly, I knew he was there, he was in DRS for five or six laps, so I just drove like in quali to stay ahead,” Alonso said after dropping down the classification. “I wanted to maximize my exit speed out of Turn 6 to defend against his attack. That’s what any racing driver would do, and I didn’t think it was dangerous.”

“I’m disappointed to receive a penalty for a hard but fair fight in the race. But I’m glad George is okay. It was not nice to see his car stopped on the track.”

Alonso later took to his personal social media to express his thoughts. He wrote: “The penalty at the end of the race surprised me a bit because it involves how we should approach corners or how we should drive the car. At those speeds, we don’t want to do anything wrong. I believe that if there was no gravel in that corner, or anywhere else in the world, we wouldn’t have been investigated.”

“In my 20+ years in F1, through battles like Imola 2005 and 2006, Brazil 2023, changing the racing line, sacrificing entry speed for a good exit is part of the art of motorsport. We never drive every lap and every corner at 100%, we save fuel, tires, and brakes, so it’s surprising to be judged for not making every lap identical.”

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack was also surprised by the penalty but confirmed the team would not appeal.

“Seeing him [Alonso] penalized to eighth after the race was unexpected, but we have to accept the decision. It doesn’t affect our points haul today. We scored 12 points thanks to both our drivers, who translated very different tire strategies into points finishes,” he said.