Fernando Alonso has been demoted to eighth place at the Australian Grand Prix after being handed a 20-second penalty for his role in George Russell’s crash from the race.
Russell was chasing Alonso for sixth place on lap 57 of 58 when he got too close behind the Aston Martin driver and crashed out of the race.
Although Alonso made no contact with the British Mercedes star, the stewards decided to investigate the incident and speak to both men after the race.
It was judged that Alonso made an ‘unusual manoeuvre’ and drove in a manner that was ‘potentially dangerous’.
This was because the 42-year-old took off at Turn 6 more than 100 meters earlier than in the previous 56 laps, ultimately catching Russell out.
George Russell crashed on lap 57 at the Australian Grand Prix while chasing Fernando Alonso
Russell’s car hit the barrier and was lifted onto its side over the broken wheel of the Mercedes
Stewards have handed Fernando Alonso a 20-second penalty after saying he went up more than 100 meters before entering Turn 6 – ultimately catching the British driver
In the FIA document confirming the time penalty, it was revealed that Alonso told the stewards that he intended to take the corner differently because he wanted to take off earlier and slow down so he could get a better exit.
Russell refuted the argument by telling the stewards that Alonso’s maneuver was ‘erratic’ and surprised him as it caused him to close the distance to the rear of the Aston Martin ‘unusually quickly’.
Alonso also explained that although his plan was to slow down earlier, he had done it a bit wrong and had to take extra steps to get back up to speed.
The FIA statement read: ‘Did he (Alonso) choose to do anything, for whatever purpose, that was extraordinary: lifting, braking, downshifting and all other elements of the maneuver over 100 meters earlier than before? – yes, according to his own account of the incident he did.
“And in the stewards’ opinion, by doing these things he was driving in a manner that was at least ‘potentially dangerous’ given the very high speed nature of that point of the track.”