Press kit / Aston Martin / Pictured: Fernando Alonso
A few hours after the end of the Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia, the stewards gave a surprising message. Fernando Alonso’s second penalty was overturned, allowing the Aston Martin driver to regain the podium he won in Jeddah.
Fernando Alonso received a five-second penalty at the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia for a wrong position on the grid. The Aston Martin driver complied with the stewards’ decision during the pit stop, but after the Formula 1 race there was information that the Aston Martin mechanic touched the Spaniard’s car while taking the penalty kick.
The stewards imposed a second penalty on Alonso – this time 10 seconds, causing the former world champion to drop the race classification to fourth and miss out on Jubilee, the 100th podium of his career. However, Aston Martin appealed this stewards’ ruling.
The second penalty was imposed due to a mechanic touching Alonso’s car with the rear jack. However, Aston Martin provided evidence that the regulations on the matter were not clear and it was not possible to determine whether touching the lever was prohibited.
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The FIA initially agreed that touching the car with a jack constituted “work on the car” and a breach of the rules. “However, after reviewing the new evidence, we have concluded that, as previously suggested to the stewards, there is a clear consensus that can be relied upon to agree on whether touching Jack amounted to an act on the car,” the judge’s note said.
“In the circumstances, we felt our original decision to penalize the No. 14 car should have been reversed and we have done so.”
Previously, Alonso did not leave a dry thread on the judges’ decision. – It’s more than putting the FIA on a bad show. Not good for the fans when you have 35 laps to announce a penalty and you don’t. The judges had enough time to analyze it. Maybe I’ll be able to build an 11 second advantage over the next driver? he told Sky Sports.
Fernando Alonso regained third place and George Russell slipped to fourth in the Saudi Grand Prix standings.
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