F1 Saudi Arabian GP: “Rigged, passes a Red Bull for the lead immediately gets a penalty,” – Fans react to Fernando Alonso’s time penalty
Fernando Alonso smacked with a five second penalty for incorrect starting position.
Fernando Alonso (Credits: Autosport)
Fernando Alonso has been given a five-second time penalty for an incorrect starting grid position. The Spaniard started the race from P2 on the grid but was slightly a bit more toward the right. This is the same problem that Esteban Ocon faced during the Bahrain Grand Prix. The five-second penalty will surely hamper Alonso’s chances of winning the Saudi Arabian GP.
This has come as a bit of shock not only to the Aston Martin F1 team but also to the fans who are tuning into the race from all over the World. Moreover, in order to let their reactions known, many fans have taken to Twitter and come up with their reactions. While some reactions are hilarious, some have raised question marks as to whether Alonso could make up for the five-second penalty during the race.
Fans’ reactions to Fernando Alonso’s penalty
Looking at the fan’s reactions, it is pretty clear that they are divided on Fernando Alonso’s penalty. Some have seen the funny side of things, while quite a few have shown concern toward the Spaniard’s chances of winning the race. The concern is totally understandable, as making up five seconds is an extremely difficult task in F1.
However, knowing your fighting spirit of Alonso, anything is possible. The AMR23 has got some serious pace this year, and Alonso has, so far in the season, managed to drive it at its limit. An example of this was seen in Bahrain, and Alonso could again do it if everything works well on his car. Currently, he is running in P2 behind Sergio Perez.
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Would Fernando Alonso be able to win the Saudi Arabian GP?
Fernando Alonso managed a brilliant P3 finish during this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix. He drove the AMR23 at its absolute limit and could snatch P3 during the dying laps of the race. Knowing that he is currently in P2 in Jeddah, there is a chance of him winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. However, much would depend on when Alonso decides to serve his penalty.
When someone dives into the pits after a time penalty, the crew cannot work on the car for the duration of the penalty imposed. The penalties depend upon many factors. In Alonso’s case, the penalty is 5 seconds, and if Aston Martin is able to plan properly, then there is a very good chance that the penalty would not hinder the Spaniard’s race a lot.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix takes place for 50 laps, and with almost half of the race done, things will get tough as the race progresses. Fernando Alonso has not won an F1 race for quite some time, but considering that he is in P2 at the moment, would he be able to get the better of Sergio Perez? The Mexican is around 5 seconds ahead of Alonso at the moment.
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)