I do not agree with Fernando Alonso’s heavy-handed penalty for causing George Russell crash

The stewards in their judgment said that Alonso had a right to take the corner differently and also should not be held responsible for Russell’s loss of downforce in the dirty air and the subsequent crash. That is correct, however, they believed that Alonso’s actions were both “extraordinary” and “potentially dangerous”. I disagree.

Racing is racing. Alonso was simply trying everything in his power on the last lap to keep that sixth place and it is his right and his prerogative to drive in the way he did. We are not talking about him brake testing Russell, something which was a dirty but common tactic in decades of old.

To me “extraordinary” would be a driver sideswiping their rival or pushing someone off the track. If the two cars came together, then there is room for saying this was a dirty move but they did not and this was not – the rules of engagement require the lead driver to leave a car’s width either side at corner entry which he also did. I would not expect Alonso to have finished in the barriers if the positions were reversed, though. He would have been more alert to the situation.

There are plenty of rules in F1 when it comes to driving standards. As well as leaving a car’s width on the edge of the track when overtaking or defending, you cannot weave in the braking zone or more than once down the straight. Alonso simply slowed early for the corner so he could get a better exit.

This is a legitimate driving tactic, as disruptive as it was to Russell – but that is the point. If you are following a car, racing on the exact same racing line that close then you will get dirty air in every corner. Even more so when you go “across” the rear of a car as Russell did. This is where Russell was caught out and, for his part, he owned up to this.

It is interesting to contrast with the last race in Saudi Arabia. There Kevin Magnussen drove a superb defensive race to delay the pack that was chasing his Haas team-mate Nico Hulkenberg, who scored a vital point for Haas. He was not driving what you would call “normally” as he tried different things to disrupt those behind.

Yes, Haas’s rivals were unhappy and complained but as far as the stewards were concerned it was acceptable driving. The Russell-Alonso incident is not that different, other than that Russell ended in the barriers after losing control of the car – and that was on him. It happens in F1 and Alonso pointed that out after the race.

“At no point do we want to do anything wrong at these speeds. In F1, with over 20 years of experience, with epic duels like Imola 2005/2006/Brazil 2023, changing racing lines, sacrificing entry speed to have good exits from corners is part of the art of motorsport,” Alonso wrote on X.

“We never drive at 100 per cent every race lap and every corner, we save fuel, tires, brakes, so being held responsible for not making every lap the same is a bit surprising.”

Alonso is one of the smartest and wiliest operators on the grid. He is a tactician and we hear that on the radio and see it in races a lot. I agree entirely with his sentiments – the FIA’s judgment here is inconsistent and wide of the mark.