F1 Saudi Arabian GP: “What is this nonsense!”, Fans react to the FIA penalising Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso lost his 100th podium at the Saudi Arabian GP.

<strong>F1 Saudi Arabian GP: “What is this nonsense!”, Fans react to the FIA penalising Fernando Alonso</strong>

Fernando Alonso. Image via Evening Standard.

Fernando Alonso had a great start in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Spaniard put his AMR23 ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez but the duo swapped places eventually. Red Bull is unbeatable at the moment and there was nothing Alonso could do to fight with them. The Aston Martin driver finished third behind the Red Bull duo, Perez and Verstappen. 

Alonso was elated with his 100th podium. Unfortunately for him, he was handed a 10-second time penalty, and his happiness was short-lived. The Aston Martin driver had a penalty at the start of the race for being out of position. The team decided to serve the penalty under the safety car. This was quite a loophole for them at the time. However, the FIA were strict with their penalty and Alonso’s 100th podium was snatched away from him.

Aston Martin’s rear Jackman was spotted touching AMR23 in the pits, this resulted in a secondary investigation. And, another penalty was handed after the race. A similar incident happened with Esteban Ocon at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The Alpine driver was handed several penalties and retired from the race. The FIA is quite strict with their penalties this season. 

Related: F1 Saudi Arabian GP: “How on earth is Xavi still employed?” Tifosi left furious as another Ferrari & Charles Leclerc debacle unfolds

Formula 1 fans called out the FIA for their indecisiveness regarding Fernando Alonso’s penalty

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Fernando Alonso. Image via PlanetF1.

Formula 1 fans had the best reaction to Fernando Alonso’s penalty, “You can take the Driver out of Alpine but you can’t take the Alpine out of the driver”, “FIA only needed an hour to hand him this penalty”,” That is way way way too late. It needs to happen BEFORE the podium ceremony”, and “And they could have decided this during the race, Alonso’s false celebrations and Russell ribbed of celebration unfair to both”, were some of the reactions. Let us take a look at more below,

https://twitter.com/DivertAppMatt/status/1637548698178666497
https://twitter.com/kawa1l/status/1637543399405281282
https://twitter.com/Josh_Dyno/status/1637528833564745731

Mercedes’ George Russell capitalised on Alonso’s misfortune. He moved to third place and got a happy ending. Fernando Alonso was demoted to P4, right ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Nevertheless, Alonso was thrilled with his performance. After the race, he stated, “What a start to the season! Probably unthinkable one month ago when we launched the car. They have made a fantastic car and a fantastic execution of strategy. The Red Bulls may be a bit out of reach but the rest are behind.” 

The fans criticised the FIA. There was 50 per cent of the race left for the FIA to review and inform the team about Alonso’s penalty. Speaking about the penalty, Alonso said he did not care as he had already celebrated on the podium and that his job was done. The 41-year-old is happy with his new team and his new toy.

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Who won the F1 Saudi Arabian GP 2023?

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