Soon after Fernando Alonso raised concerns with the stewards’ decision-making, Carlos Sainz raised some of his own as well. Alonso shockingly claimed that he received most of his penalties so far this season because he is ‘Spanish‘. While Sainz did not necessarily agree with Alonso’s assessment, he did admit that the penalty system has left him “baffled“. He used the example of the stewards’ decision for a recent incident involving Sergio Perez to explain his point.
Sainz suggests that what happens to the car in the aftermath of an incident plays a bigger role in deciding penalties than the incident itself.
As quoted by Ferrari News’ X handle, Sainz said,
“Checo (Sergio Perez) didn’t touch anyone and we managed to avoid him, but there was no penalty. The consequences continue to influence the penalties, and it is something that I do not agree with. It baffles me and sometimes I struggle to understand“.
️| Carlos Sainz speaks on the penalty system in Formula 1:
“Drivers sometimes don’t understand penalties, and the same happened to me.”
“In Miami, Perez lost control of the car and almost threw two drivers out at the start, and there was no consequence. My race, like that of…
— Ferrari News (@FanaticsFerrari) May 16, 2024
The Madrid-born driver then criticized the stewards for penalizing him at the Miami GP. He believes that had he not damaged Oscar Piastri’s front wing, the officials would not have handed a penalty that cost him and Ferrari valuable points.
Perez, on the other hand, was part of a similar incident, because he didn’t damage anyone’s car, he escaped without any punishment.
Because of such inconsistencies from Race Control, Sainz claimed, “Drivers sometimes don’t understand penalties, and the same happened to me“. Alonso agrees with his compatriot but has suggested that the stewards have an agenda against Spanish drivers.
Fernando Alonso hopes to protect the “future generation of Spanish drivers“
After the Miami GP sprint race, Fernando Alonso launched an attack against the FIA race officials. He claimed that they did not penalize Lewis Hamilton for making contact with him because the 39-year-old is not Spanish.
When asked to comment on the incident with Hamilton, Alonso said (as quoted by Motorsport),
“I guess they won’t decide anything because he’s not Spanish. But I think he ruined the race for a few people“
Alonso believes that Hamilton spoiled his teammate Lance Stroll and Lando Norris’ races too. Because the Briton didn’t receive any penalty, Alonso went on to insist that he would take the matter up with the FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
“I need to make sure there is not anything wrong with my nationality or anything that can influence any decision, not only for me but also for the future generation of the Spanish drivers. They need to be protected.”
Before the Miami GP weekend, he picked up six penalty points on two sperate occasions, adding to the pressure on him. Alonso is frustrated because, out of the number of penalties he has received, most of them were unfair in his opinion.
