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Fernando Alonso has been demoted to eighth place at the Australian Grand Prix after receiving a 20-second penalty for his role in George Russell crashing out of the race.
Russell was chasing Alonso for sixth place on lap 57 of 58, when he got too close to the Aston Martin driver and crashed out of the race.
Although Alonso had no contact with the British Mercedes star, stewards decided to investigate the incident and speak to both men after the race.
Alonso was deemed to have made an “unusual manoeuvre” and drove in a “potentially dangerous” manner.
This was because the 42-year-old lifted more than 100 meters earlier into Turn 6 than in the previous 56 laps, ultimately surprising Russell.
George Russell crashed at the Australian Grand Prix on lap 57 while chasing Fernando Alonso
Russell’s car crashed into the barrier and turned sideways onto the broken wheel of the Mercedes.
The stewards gave Alonso a 20-second penalty after saying he got up more than 100 meters early at Turn 6, ultimately surprising 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, as he wanted to lift earlier and pick up less speed in order to get a better exit.
Russell responded to the argument by telling the stewards that Alonso’s maneuver was “erratic” and took him by surprise as it caused him to close the gap to the rear of the “unusually fast” Aston Martin.
Alonso also explained that while his plan was to slow down earlier, he messed up a bit and had to take additional steps to get back up to speed.
The FIA statement read: “Did he (Alonso) choose to do something, with any intention, that was extraordinary, lifting, braking, downshifting and all other elements of the 100+ meter maneuver earlier than before?” -Yes, according to his own account of the incident that he did.
“And in the stewards’ opinion, in doing these things, he drove in a manner that was at least ‘potentially dangerous’ given the very high speed nature at that point of the track.”
Alonso also received three penalty points from the stewards, who included former British F1 driver Johnny Herbert.
The statement added: ‘TThe stewards felt that they did not have enough information to determine whether Alonso’s maneuver was intended to cause problems for Russell, or whether, as he claimed to the stewards, he was simply trying to get a better start.
“This season, the FIA Formula One penalty guidelines, including for this offence, have been reset and increased to a basic 10-second penalty. Additionally, where any aggravating circumstance is present, we consider a drive-through penalty.
Alonso was found to have braked more than 100 meters early at Turn 6, causing Russell to crash as he closed in behind the Aston Martin driver.
It was a disappointing day for Mercedes, as Russell’s accident followed Lewis Hamilton’s retirement with an engine problem.
“In this case we consider it an aggravating circumstance that Alonso has affirmatively chosen to perform an unusual maneuver at this time, and not a simple mistake.”
The Spaniard’s demotion promoted his teammate Lance Stroll to sixth place and Yuki Tsunoda to seventh.
It was a disappointing weekend for Russell’s Mercedes teammate, who left Australia without a single point after Lewis Hamilton retired with an engine problem.
Max Verstappen also retired from the race in the early stages, with Ferrari taking a 1-2 victory with McLaren’s Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris completing the podium.