Australian Grand Prix stewards handed Fernando Alonso penalty points and a time penalty for “potentially dangerous driving”.
The Aston Martin driver, along with George Russell, were called before the Melbourne stewards after a crash involving the Mercedes driver on the final lap as he battled with Aston Martin for sixth place.
Fernando Alonso and George Russell called up
Russell was alongside Alonso to attempt an overtake on the back straight on the final lap when the Mercedes driver quickly closed in on the back of an Aston Martin traveling into Turn 6 and was overtaken.
At that moment, Russell lost control and crashed into the barrier alone, bringing out the virtual safety car and ending the race. Russell, who had entered a dangerous position in the middle of the racing line on a high-speed corner, could be heard frantically calling for a red flag over the team radio.
Although Russell was uninjured in the accident, the stewards became suspicious of the circumstances of the accident and summoned the two drivers in front of him to confirm the situation.
Stewards (Tim Mayer, Matteo Pelini, Johnny Herbert and Matthew Selly) will hear from Russell, Alonso, Mercedes and Aston Martin team principals and will monitor data, video, telemetry, team radio and team telemetry data. investigated.
Stewards outline explanation for George Russell’s crash
In their verdict, in which the stewards awarded Alonso a 20-second time penalty and three penalty points, the accident was explained through the eyes of an investigator.
“Car No. 63 (George Russell) was following car No. 14 (Fernando Alonso) by approximately half a second as it entered Turn 6,” they said.
“Alonso explained to the stewards that he intended to change his approach to Turn 6, entering the corner earlier and exiting the corner at a lower speed.
“Russell told the stewards that, from his point of view, Alonso’s maneuvering was unstable and caught him off guard, causing him to close the distance at an unusually high speed, resulting in a loss of downforce at the apex of the corner, causing him to lose control and crash at the corner. I explained that I had exited the corner. There was no contact between the cars.
What did Fernando Alonso’s telemetry show?
As with any investigation of this type, telemetry data provides hard evidence of driver control inputs. You can’t hide whether a pedal or switch is pressed or released.
According to the telemetry, “Alonso lifted a little more than 100 meters earlier than when he entered that corner during the race. He also braked very slightly at points where he would not normally brake (although the amount of braking (was so slight that it wasn’t the main reason the car slowed down), and I downshifted at a point I normally never downshift.
“Then he shifted up again and accelerated into the corner, then picked up again and went around the corner.
“Alonso explained that he had planned to slow down early, but had made a slight mistake and had to take additional steps to regain speed. “Nonetheless, this maneuver resulted in considerable abnormalities between the cars. A high approach speed occurred.”
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Stewards deliberate on Fernando Alonso’s actions
After determining the data, the stewards considered Alonso’s driving in the light of Article 33.4 of the FIA Sporting Regulations. The same article stipulates as follows: other drivers or other people. ”
Putting aside the consequences of the crash, as is often the case in such cases, the stewards were wondering whether Alonso’s move was intended to cause problems for Russell regarding control inputs, or whether he was simply trying to cause problems for Russell. He said there was not enough information to determine whether he had done so. Get the best possible exit for yourself.
Alonso has the right to change his approach to the corner and is not responsible for the effects of dirty air coming out of the rear of the car.
However, the question raised by the stewards was that Alonso did something extraordinary (meaning unusual in this case) by lifting, braking and downshifting more than necessary and more than 100 meters earlier than normal. The question was whether or not he had chosen to do so. Slow down early for the corner.
Interestingly, the stewards announced this part of their verdict with the words “whatever the intent”, meaning they did not rule out the possibility of a deliberate act.
Although Alonso’s own account revealed that he had been driving in such a manner, the stewards’ view was that, on such a high-speed part of the circuit, he had driven in a manner that could at least be judged as ‘potentially dangerous’. That’s what it was.
How did the stewards decide on Fernando Arono’s penalty?
The standard penalty for a violation of Article 33.4 is a 10 second time penalty, which will be added to the driver’s race time.
However, due to “aggravating circumstances”, stewards ruled that Alonso’s decision to make an erratic driving maneuver was not a driving error, and Alonso was given a drive-through penalty.
Alonso was unable to complete the drive-through penalty as it was the final lap of the race, so it was changed to a 20-second post-race time penalty as required by the regulations, dropping the Aston Martin driver to eighth in class. .
In addition to the time penalty, Alonso will be given three penalty points on his F1 Superlicense, taking his current 12-month period to three penalty points.
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