Alonso criticizes 'disappointing' penalty following Russell crash
Fernando Alonso criticized the "disappointing" 20-second penalty imposed on him for his defensive driving against George Russell in a tight battle for sixth place at the Australian Grand Prix.
In the closing laps of the Melbourne race, two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso was engaged in an intense duel with Mercedes' George Russell over sixth position.
Fearing Russell's pace with DRS, Alonso lifted and braked earlier than usual into Turn 6 on the penultimate lap to carry more speed onto the following straight.
The Stewards' verdict
Russell was caught out by Alonso's defensive maneuver and crashed into the barriers.
The stewards investigated Alonso for potentially "erratic" or "dangerous" driving.
After reviewing telemetry showing Alonso lifted 100m earlier and tapped the brakes, slowing more than reasonably needed for the corner, he received a drive-through penalty converted to 20 seconds post-race.
This demoted him from sixth to eighth.
Alonso's reaction
Alonso strongly criticized the penalty, insisting his tactics were fair and not dangerous.
"It's disappointing to get a penalty from the stewards for what was hard but fair racing,"
he stated. He argued changing lines and sacrificing corner entry for better exits is "part of the art of motorsport" with over 20 years of experience.
Team perspective
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack was similarly surprised by the stewards' call but accepted the decision without appeal.
He praised both Alonso and Stroll, who inherited sixth, for converting grid positions to points on differing strategies.
The incident reignited debates around acceptable defensive driving and officiating consistency.
While Alonso's move was firm, such positioning for corner exits is commonplace. However, the sudden lift could be deemed erratic from Russell's perspective.
With tight midfield battles, clarity on boundariesfor "hard but fair" racing will be sought.
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