“A disappointing post-race penalty”: Alpine CEO Laurent Ross criticizes FIA’s decision to penalise Fernando Alonso in Miami
Follow Us
Before the current season of Formula 1 2022 began, the FIA had put forward some technical rule changes that were meant to bring the competition closer between the rival teams. And as the situation stands right now, every Championship point matters as all the racers are breathing down of the necks of each other in the WDC Standings.
And for Alpine, this season has not been particularly amazing, because their team, with the drivers Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, has failed to perform as they had promised for this year. Standing sixth in the Championship table right now, Alpine is only 5 points behind Alfa Romeo, and they need every point they can get to narrow this gap.
But sadly, in Miami, when former World Champion Fernando Alonso was driving in the P9 position and the people at the Alpine garage were happy to see their car in the top 10 position, the FIA ruled against Alonso’s favour and penalised him for causing a collision with Alfa Tauri driver Pierre Gasly. This cost the Spanish driver 2 precious Championship points, and has caused him to stay at the back of the Championship table with only 2 points to his name.
Alpine CEO releases statement condemning the FIA for unfair penalty on Fernando Alonso
Alpine had performed fairly well in 2021, with two podium finishes and one race win to their name. The team finished fifth in the Constructors’ Championship battle, just behind McLaren Racing. And while the fans of the French team had huge expectations from the team in this season, they have not been able to live up to those at all. Esteban Ocon has still managed to perform quite well in all the races except in Imola, where he finished in P14.
With a teammate who has finished in the top 10 in four out of the five F1 races that have taken place till now in this season, Fernando Alonso is under pressure because he has got only two points in the books. And all through the Miami weekend, the Spaniard had shown great speed, before he fell down to the bottom of the grid in the Main Race. But still Alonso managed to move up to the 9th spot, before the FIA gave him a time penalty, which robbed him of the two points that he was going to get.
In response to Alonso’s penalty, Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi released a statement that said, “A disappointing post-race penalty for Fernando for leaving the track and gaining an advantage means our six points at the chequered flag turned into four points and it has cost us a deserved double points finish.”
He further said, “This one is certainly difficult to accept since Fernando handed back the time during the lap and we were not able to present the evidence to clarify the particular situation before the penalty was issued. With the opportunity to explain, we’re very confident Fernando would have kept his ninth place.”
Read More: “I’m not going to be nice anymore,” Romain Grosjean heavily criticized by rivals in IndyCar
Stay Updated!
Riddhi Mondal
(1821 Articles Published)