Aston Martin has decided not to appeal regarding the penalty imposed by the race stewards of the Australian Grand Prix on Fernando Alonso, guilty of having broken a rule of the FIA sporting code dedicated to F1 on the last lap of the third event of the 2024 season of Formula 1 helping trigger the accident that led to George Russell's retirement.
The decision was first made and then explained by team principal Mike Krack through a press release issued yesterday evening. Krack underlined that the team was unable to collect new evidence, which is why the appeal automatically becomes inadmissible.
“Fernando received a 20-second penalty when there was no contact whatsoever between him and the car following him, and this is a particularly bitter pill to swallow. But we accepted the decision,” read the statement.
The accident of George Russell, Mercedes W15
“We have done our best, but without new evidence we are unable to obtain the right to review the penalty imposed on Fernando.”
Krack, as several members of Aston Martin Racing have already done over the last few days, wanted to strongly defend Alonso from the criticism that rightly rained down on him for the maneuver that caused Russell's accident.
“We are all happy and relieved that George was not harmed in the accident. I want to let you know that we fully support Fernando. He is the most experienced driver in Formula 1, has completed more grands prix than anyone else and has more than 20 years of experience. He is a multiple world champion in various categories.”
“Fernando is a phenomenal driver and was using every means to finish the race ahead of Russell, just like we saw last year against Perez in Brazil. This is the art of motorsport at the highest level.”
The defense towards Fernando is understandable on the part of his team, this should not be surprising at all. But it is equally clear that the race commissioners had all the necessary elements – telemetry, images, radio teams and the words of the drivers – to make a decision regarding Alonso's manoeuvre.
Let's remember that Alonso, having reached turn 6, lifted his foot from the accelerator more than 100 meters earlier than he did up until the previous lap with the intention – so he declared – of exiting the corner better. Fernando then braked and downshifted at an unusual point.
Telemetry comparison between Alonso's laps 56 and 57 in the Australian GP
Photo by: Gianluca D'Alessandro
This led the stewards to believe that Alonso's maneuver breached rule 33.4 of the sporting regulations, which states: “At no time may a single-seater be driven slowly in an unnecessary, incorrect manner, or in any manner potentially dangerous to the other pilots or any other person”.
It's true that Alonso took his foot off the accelerator also to recharge his batteries and have more energy available for the rest of the lap, but the reduction of 35 kilometers per hour compared to the previous lap in that stretch actually breaks rule 33.4, because the AMR24 number 14 was driven slowly in a potentially dangerous manner for the other drivers. Defending your position on the track is sacrosanct, but it is equally necessary to stay within the limits imposed by the regulations.
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