The 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will always be a race to remember for Fernando Alonso. The Aston Martin driver lost and found the podium place in a matter of a few hours, thanks to a controversial decision by the FIA. Alonso slammed the F1 governing body over their late decision, in spite of being reinstated back to the podium place later on.
As per ESPN F1, Alonso said that the decision taken by FIA was poor. He went on to say that he was on the podium, took pictures as the driver in P3, and celebrated with champagne. After all this, the penalty was announced.
The 41-year-old driver also said that it took them 35 laps to decide on the punishment. It is believed that the decision not only gave the FIA a poor reputation but also ruined the image of the sport around the world.
Admittedly, it was strange for the governing authority to apply the punishment so late. Had it been announced earlier, things could have been different for the teams in regard to the penalty received.
How did Alonso receive the second penalty?
After the Jeddah Corniche Circuit race started, Alonso was informed that he got a five seconds time penalty. The Spanish driver was penalized for starting his race from an incorrect position.
According to the rules, a driver must adhere to the grid line while starting a race. As he received the penalty, he dived into the pit stop during the safety car to serve the penalty and come out with an advantage.
However, after over 30 laps and the completion of the race, FIA informed that the former Ferrari star served the penalty incorrectly. It was believed that a pit crew touched the rear of the car with the rear jack, which interrupted the penalty serving process.
As per FIA, nobody can touch the car while it’s serving the penalty. Touching the car would mean working and hence can trigger the penalty. This is what happened in case of Ocon and Alonso in Bahrain and Jeddah, respectively.
Why did the Aston Martin driver get back his position from George Russell?
After the 10-second time penalty, the driver from the Silverstone-based team got down to P4. This brought George Russell up into P3 who echoed Alonso’s efforts. Russell, along with Mercedes, celebrated the gift as they picked up the first silverware of the season, only to be turned back.
Furious Aston Martin appealed against the FIA judgment. According to reports, they not only argued over the late nature of the penalty but also showed multiple instances where the team wasn’t penalized when they took a similar approach to serve the time penalty.
In the end, the F1 governing body reinstated the 41-year-old’s position back to P3. Hence, the ‘El Plan’ man got to keep the 100th podium of his career and back-to-back podium in 2023.
