At the recent Sprint Race and Qualifying day in Miami, Fernando Alonso raised serious concerns over what he perceives as racially charged decisions by race stewards. The Spanish driver cited several incidents where he felt penalties were biased against him due to his nationality.
The allegations made by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso after the Miami Sprint Race have ignited a particularly intense discussion. Alonso, with years of experience on the racing circuit, has brought to light concerns that touch on the sensitive issue of racial biases in sport.
During the Miami race weekend, Alonso was vocally critical of the stewarding decisions, particularly those that affected him and other drivers during recent events. He pointed to multiple incidents, including penalties he received in Australia and China, as well as a contentious non-penalty involving Lewis Hamilton in Miami, which Alonso believed showcased inconsistent and potentially biased decision-making.
“I do feel that nationality matters,” Alonso stated emphatically, as quoted by Autosport. “I will speak with Mohammed [Ben Sulayem, FIA president], with the FIA, whatever. I need to make sure that there isn’t anything wrong with my nationality or anything that can influence any decision. Not only for me, also for the future generation of Spanish drivers. They need to be protected.”
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The incidents in question include a penalty Alonso received for allegedly slowing down excessively, leading to a crash with George Russell in Australia, and another during the Sprint Race in China where he made side contact with Carlos Sainz. Additionally, Alonso highlighted a move by Hamilton in Miami, which he felt warranted a penalty that was not given.
“I had to open the gap, because Hamilton was coming from the inside without control of the car. If I do that, for sure I get a penalty,” Alonso explained, expressing his frustration over the perceived double standards.
Alonso has since been seen approaching the FIA along with Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack, as shared on social media by F1 journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm.
Fernando Alonso has rapidly followed through with his intention to speak to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. He made clear earlier his concerns that driver nationality may be influencing penalties. Just emerged from FIA hospitality accompanied by team boss Mike Krack. pic.twitter.com/rUMopSZdzM
— Scott Mitchell-Malm (@SMitchellF1) May 4, 2024
Adding to the complexities of the weekend, Alonso faced difficulties with his car setup, which significantly affected his qualifying performance. He ended up 15th after Q2, a position he found disappointing given the potential he and his team had shown in previous races.
“A little bit disappointed with qualifying for us. P15 in Q1, P15 in Q2, so I didn’t have much pace today. We made some set-up changes since this morning – looking at the time, they probably didn’t work as expected and we are a little bit less competitive than normal.
“I was understeering a lot in the high-speed and oversteering a lot in the low-speed [corners] and I felt like no grip on the car in any of the runs. With two tenths you can be P8 or P15. We are on the wrong side of that group as we’ve been on the good side in the last few races.
“It’s going to be a tough race. Hopefully with Lance starting P11 we’re going to score a few points. With me P15 it is going to be very difficult.”
Uncommon Knowledge
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