Why did Fernando Alonso get a 10-second penalty after finishing on podium at Saudi Arabian GP?

Know all about Fernando Alonso's 10-seconds penalty saga at the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP through this article.

Why did Fernando Alonso get a 10-second penalty after finishing on podium at Saudi Arabian GP?

Fernando Alonso (Credits: AutoSport)

Fernando Alonso’s 2023 Saudi Arabian GP Weekend turned out to be one to forget, even after finishing on the podium. All of Alonso’s problems started even before the race got underway. During the formation lap, the Spaniard was a bit too far toward the left on his grid slot and that got him a five-second penalty.

Moreover, when the safety car was in play during the race, Fernando Alonso came into the pits to serve his 5-second time penalty. While no action was taken by the FIA stewards at that time, it was later made known that Alonso was given an additional 10-second penalty. As far as the reasoning goes, the Spaniard’s mechanics did a huge blunder and started working on the car before the five seconds were up.

It is believed that the mechanic that was around the rear tire of Alonso’s car, touched the AMR23 before the five seconds were up. This is a body blow as far as the 41-year-old’s hopes of challenging for the 2023 F1 World Championship are concerned. After getting imposed with a 10-second penalty, he was demoted from his podium finish to P4.

One interesting fact about Alonso’s troubles in Saudi Arabia is that his former teammate, Esteban Ocon also went through the same things during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend. The Frenchman also parked his car incorrectly on his grid slot, and when he came into the pits to serve his 5-second penalty, one of his mechanics started working on the A523 before the 5 seconds were up.

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Would Fernando Alonso be able to win a third F1 World Championship?

Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso is a two-time F1 World Champion. However, he won his last Championship way back in 2005 during his Renault days. It has been over 16 years, and he is yet to secure his third Championship of his F1 career. Since 2006, Alonso has driven for teams like McLaren, Ferrari, and, Minardi but has not been able to win the Championship.

The 41-year-old now drives for Aston Martin and it is most probably the last team that he would be seen competing for in F1. Considering his age, Alonso has not got a lot of years left in the sport. His current F1 contract runs until the end of the 2024 season and after that, no one is sure whether the Spaniard would be able to meet the demands of the sport.

Going around F1 circuits takes a heavy toll on the body and it is not easy to keep going when a driver is in his 40s. Considering that Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 F1 World Champion, also retired from F1 during his early 40s, is Alonso’s time in F1 also going to come to an end after the end of the 2024 season of the sport?

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