The Spanish driver Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) recovered the third place won this Sunday in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the second race of the Formula 1 World Cup, lost after the race due to a 10-second penalty.
The sports stewards understood that an initial five-second penalty for placing the car out of place on the starting grid had not been correctly served, since one of the mechanics touched the car with the jack during the five seconds in which it should have been penalized . Observed at the time of the start pit stop to change tires.
However, three hours after the end of the race, the stewards reviewed their position, after an Aston Martin display showed seven similar situations where there was no penalty.
The mechanic placed the jack on the Spanish driver’s car, but did not raise it until the five-second penalty that the team would have to serve had elapsed.
Given the history of similar situations, the stewards reversed the decision and put Alonso back in third place in the Saudi race.
It is, therefore, the 100th podium of the career of the former two-time world champion (2005 and 2006), the second in a row with Aston Martin, after the third place won in Bahrain, in the first round of the World Cup.
“I ended up happy with the result and with our second podium. We showed that we can be the second fastest team in the peloton. I made a mistake on the grid but we did everything possible to make up for lost time”, said the 41-year-old Asturian rider.
In this way, the British George Russell (Mercedes), who had risen to third place, must return the trophy to Fernando Alonso, who even participated in the podium ceremony.
The Spanish driver had already criticized the FIA for allowing the penalty to be awarded only after the final formalities and podium ceremony.
“They had 35 laps to give the penalty,” he stressed.
Aston Martin also regains second place in the Constructors’ Championship, with 38 points, the same as Mercedes.
The Mexican driver Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the second round of the Formula 1 world championship, beating his teammate, the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull).
Pérez, who led from the fourth to the 50th and final lap, left Verstappen in 5.355 seconds, while the Spanish Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) was third, in 20.728, adding the 100th podium of his career.
Red Bull leads the Constructors’ Championship with 87 points, while Verstappen leads the drivers’ ranking with 44 points, one more than Pérez.
The next race will be the Australian Grand Prix on April 2.
Source: TSF
