F1: The stewards frustrate the “best race” of Fernando Alonso, out of the points after 30 seconds of penalty

At almost nine o’clock tonight, five hours after the checkered flag fell in Austin, a statement from the FIA ​​thwarted the “best race of the year” Fernando Alonso. The stewards imposed a 30-second penalty for not complying with the safety conditions, by disputing the last section of the United States GP without his right rear-view mirror. In this way, the Asturian, who had crossed the finish line in seventh position after a great comeback, was left without points.

A bitter ending for Alonso, who had suffered a hair-raising accident due to a mistake in Lance Stroll, his next partner at Aston Martin. The Canadian’s swerve in the straight line completely destabilized the two-time world champion, who crashed into the side protections. After changing the front wing, Fernando rejoined the track in last place. From there, “with fear in his body” and in very precarious conditions, he began to gain positions.

Despite the damage to his A522, he overtook Nicholas Latifi (Williams) and Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren), benefited from the sanction to Pierre Gasley (AlphaTauri) and was able to get rid of alexander albin (Williams). A few laps later, Alpine ordered a change of positions with Stephen Ocon, so that Alonso, with very degraded tires, climbed to sixth place. From there he could no longer contain lando norris (McLaren), although those four points from the finish line rewarded his valiant effort.

No punishment for Red Bull

“I have pushed as if they were qualifying laps. It has been my best race of the year and finishing seventh is incredible,” Alonso valued in the DAZN microphones. “I was still thinking about the accident and I just wanted to get to the finish line,” added the man from Oviedo, determined to maintain Alpine’s fourth place in the Constructors’ World Championship. “I wanted so badly to be ahead of Lando… But we will be after the last race in Abu Dhabi, believe me,” he launched over the radio. His commendable work moved Otmar Szafnauer, main team of Alpine, who praised Fernando for his “magnificent” race and for getting some “deserved points”.

However, spirits in the French team began to cool after the claim of Haas, who considered himself damaged by the accident caused by Stroll. Alonso, accompanied by Alan Permaine, sports director of Alpine, had to give a statement before the FIA ​​judges, who finally relegated him to fifteenth place. In his writing they were “very concerned” because at no time was a black and orange flag displayed, nor was there a radio message to warn Alonso of what had happened.

Haas had also protested against sergio prez, which remained on the track despite losing the plate of one of its wings. On this occasion, the Australian Garry Connellythe Spanish Silvia Bellotthe brazilian Enrique Bernoldi and the american Dennis DeanThey dismissed any sanction for the Mexican. After reviewing the photographs presented by Red Bull, they concluded that Checo had competed under the necessary safety standards.

This is the second time that Alonso has left empty-handed after a late decision by the stewards. On May 9, he lost his ninth place in the Miami GP after a five-second penalty, which separated him from the points by 102 thousandths. Two weeks later, during his first public appearance at the Spanish GP, Alonso described that punishment as “very unfair” and even accused the judges of “incompetence”. “They were not very professional. They made the decision without asking us for the evidence. And when we took that evidence they were not even gathered, but they were already collecting,” he explained in the Montmel press room.

That anger could be redoubled now, since at no time was Alpine warned of the consequences of continuing on the track without one of its mirrors. Neither does the race director, Niels Wittitchshowed a black and orange flag to Alonso and Pérez, the one that orders the pilots to go through boxes for the relevant repairs. Only after Haas’s complaint did the FIA ​​decide to investigate what happened. The picture of Mike Schumacherremoving from his car one of the pieces detached after the accident between Stroll and Alonso, ended up twisting Alpine’s luck.

In any case, the French team has also launched a protest to invalidate Alonso’s sanction. In her opinion, Haas’s appeal was filed “24 minutes after the specified deadline”, so “it should not be accepted” and the penalty should be “considered invalid”. And it is that the FIA ​​itself came to admit that it had not been possible “to meet the submission deadline”. Alpine also questions two other aspects: the absence of a black and orange flag on the track, and the first judgment of Joe Bauertechnical delegate of the FIA, who after the race gave legal status to car 14.

The memory of Bak and Valencia

This controversy occurs only a week after the highest body of the engine excluded Eduardo Freitas of their rotation for race directors. The Portuguese, noted for his role during the Japanese GP – when he allowed a crane to go out on the track – will no longer occupy his seat, so Wittich will assume full responsibility in the last three races of the World Cup.

Also, Alonso’s misfortune allowed his teammate Ocon to win a place, who leaves the Circuit of the Americas with one point and extends his lead over Oviedo to 14 (79-65). A fateful climax for Fernando, whose comeback brought to mind what happened at the 2018 Azerbaijan GP, ​​when he suffered a collision with Sergey Sirotkin (Williams) that forced him to reach the boxes on three wheels. After rejoining the track penultimate, he was still able to push his McLaren to sixth place at the finish.

The chilling accident with Stroll also reminded fans of what happened at the 2010 European GP, ​​when Mark Webber rammed into Heikki Kovalainen and was thrown into the air. After a round of the bell, the Red Bull was torn to pieces on the asphalt of the urban layout of Valencia. Then, the Australian and the Finn engaged in a harsh exchange of reproaches. Almost at the antipodes, by the way, of what happened yesterday.