Fernando Alonso gets his 100th F1 podium after penalty U-turn

Fernando Alonso was handed the 100th podium of his Formula One career, and the second in two races for Aston Martin, after a U-turn by officials hours after the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The 41-year-old double world champion, enjoying a renaissance with a better team, finished third in Jeddah but was demoted to fourth with a 10-second post-race penalty.

The Spaniard was initially given a five-second penalty for a mistake on the starting grid and another for improper use – the rear jack was in contact with the car five seconds earlier.

The second sentence was later overturned when his team won the right to review after presenting new evidence to support their case.

What a moment. What a team. 👏

P3 in Saudi Arabia. It’s official. pic.twitter.com/53LCgEKRnf

– Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) March 19, 2023

“I’m happy in the end with tonight’s result and the second podium. We showed that we can be the second fastest team and we have good speed throughout the race,” Alonso said in a team statement.

The new evidence includes the minutes of the latest Sports Advisory Committee meeting and a video of “seven different incidents where the car was jacked while taking the same penalty … without being penalized.”

Stewards said the evidence called into question the agreement between the team and the FIA ​​that “touching the car in any way, including using a jack, would constitute ‘working’ on the car.”

Alonso, who had been celebrating on the podium before his demotion, had criticized the FIA ​​for the delay in imposing a second penalty more than 30 laps after the pitstop.

“I think it’s a poor show at the FIA, more of a disappointment for ourselves,” he said.

“You can’t apply a penalty 35 laps after a pitstop. They had enough time to tell you about the penalty. If I knew, maybe I opened 11 seconds for the car behind. Today we didn’t make a good show, I think, for the fans.

“They told me only five seconds in the first task and I opened seven or eight. Then in the second there was no information at all, not even an investigation.

The reversal meant Mercedes driver George Russell dropped to fourth after appearing in the post-race press conference as a third-place finisher.

“The penalty against Fernando is harsh. He deserves a podium today, but I will get an extra trophy,” he said earlier.

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