FIA to clarify the rule that caused the Fernando Alonso podium controversy in Saudi Arabia

The sports governing body will address the loophole exposed by Aston Martin over the ruling.

FIA to clarify the rule that caused the Fernando Alonso podium controversy in Saudi Arabia

Fernando Alonso

The Saudi Arabian GP took a controversial turn post-race. Fernando Alonso lost his podium finish right after the ceremony after he got a 10-second time penalty. Aston Martin was found to have been “working” on Alonso’s car while the Spaniard was serving a 5-second penalty in the pits. However, after the Silverstone team appealed with a Right to Review. This decision was overturned and the 41-year-old was reinstated for P3.

Following the confusion and backlash received from fans, the FIA will provide clarification on this rule. This clarification is set to take place before F1 heads to Melbourne for the third race of the season. As per an FIA spokesperson, this topic will be addressed on Thursday, March 23. When the next meeting of the Sporting Advisory Committee takes place.

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The penalty caused a lot of confusion in the paddock

The spokesperson acknowledged the flaw in the current ruling. As it came to light after Fernando Alonso‘s podium saga. They stated, “The subsequent decision of the stewards to hear and grant the Right of Review by the Competitor was the result of new evidence regarding the definition of ‘working on the car’. for which there were conflicting precedents. and this has been exposed by this specific circumstance.”

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The spokesperson mentioned this to be part of the sport governing body’s efforts in ensuring transparency. The message concluded, “This open approach to the review and improvement of its processes is part of the FIA’s ongoing mission to regulate the sport in a fair and transparent way.”

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The clarification will avoid such instances in the future

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Fernando Alonso’s pitstop

Fernando Alonso initially lost his P3 finish as per Article 54.4 (c) of the sporting regulations. This claimed that there was “an agreement between the FIA and the teams that touching the car in any way, including with a jack, would constitute ‘working’.” Mike Krack‘s team sought a Right to Review for this decision. With video and verbal evidence.

Subsequently, the FIA stated, “Stewards determined that there did exist significant and relevant new evidence as required under Article 14.1.1 to trigger a review of the decision. in particular the video evidence and the verbal evidence from the Team and from the FIA.” Accordingly, the decision was reversed and Alonso once again took up the third spot.

The Stewards concluded the fiasco over Fernando Alonso’s podium with the reversal. The decision stated, “In the circumstances, we considered that our original decision to impose a penalty on Car 14 needed to be reversed and we did so accordingly.” This finally brought an end to the incident. This brought joy to the Aston Martin camp. While George Russell was once again back in fourth place.

Fernando Alonso’s pitstop during the Saudi Arabian GP exposed a loophole in the sporting code. The FIA will discuss with the teams fixing this lack of precedence and preventing such cases in the future. For now, fans can have a sigh of relief as the sport does its best to avoid such confusing scenarios throughout the rest of the season.

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