Alonso went ‘too far’ with Russell ‘brake test’

Mar.25 (GMM) Fernando Alonso went “too far” in “utilizing his elbows” within the dying moments of the Australian GP.

That’s the view not solely of professional pundits, but in addition the FIA – whose stewards put three penalty factors on his F1 superlicense and a 20-second penalty for the scary incident that successfully ended the Melbourne race.

Mercedes’ George Russell pleaded in terror on the radio for purple flags after bouncing again onto the racing line after a heavy crash – arguably brought on by Alonso having ‘brake-tested’ him.

Alonso’s long-time pal, and now Aston Martin ambassador, Pedro de la Rosa, criticised the stewards’ determination. “They can’t inform the drivers tips on how to drive,” he insisted.

“Nobody right here intentionally stood on the brakes. Fernando simply defended his place, which is what a racing driver does. Russell ought to have anticipated that Fernando would do every part he may to get the right exit in flip 6, as a result of he was most weak on the lengthy again straight.”

The stewards, nonetheless, discovered that Alonso’s act of “lifting, braking” and “downshifting” greater than 100 metres sooner than common was harmful sufficient for the penalty.

Former Purple Bull driver Robert Doornbos informed Ziggo Sport that the stewards additionally wouldn’t have appreciated Alonso’s “Oscar-worthy efficiency” of blaming technical points for the method to show 6 that Russell referred to as “weird”.

“In case you give an Oscar-worthy efficiency, shouting in regards to the battery and the pedal, and he didn’t have these issues, the FIA noticed that and stated ‘You’re speaking nonsense’,” he stated.

“The FIA requested for the information and so they noticed that the closing price was huge. It’s additionally not the primary time Alonso has brake examined a competitor.

“A little bit of push and pull is a part of it, however that went too far,” Doornbos added.

One other former driver, Timo Glock, informed Sky Deutschland: “Fernando is all the time utilizing his elbows. I believe he knew precisely what he was doing.

“His thought was to catch Russell off guard, sluggish him down after which be on the fuel early to open a niche. But it surely was so excessive that Russell didn’t anticipate it in any respect.

“Alonso extends his elbows and makes use of these gray areas to achieve a bonus,” Glock added.

For his half, 42-year-old Alonso defended his actions on social media. He insisted that along with his “greater than 20 years of expertise, with epic duels like Imola 2005-2006, Brazil 2023, altering racing traces, sacrificing entry velocity to have good exits” is just “a part of the artwork of motorsport”.

Additionally awkward for Alonso is that he’s believed to be a frontrunner to switch Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes subsequent 12 months.

“I don’t need to accuse Alonso of something, as a result of I solely watched just a few laps again to this point,” crew boss Toto Wolff stated in Melbourne.

“However he braked on the lap of Russell’s crash at some extent the place he had not braked earlier than.”

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