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Wolff annoyed with FIA behaviour: 'We were victims of that in 2021'

17:16, 24 Mar 2023

byGPblog.com

Toto Wolff has compared Fernando Alonso's time penalty in the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix to the 2021 season finale. Quoted by Motorsportweek.com, the Mercedes team boss draws a comparison between the two situations, in which the race organisers and the FIA made controversial choices.

Wolff is, of course, referring to the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, in which Max Verstappen managed to take the lead on the last lap to win his first championship title. The controversial choice in question was Michael Masi's decision to allow only the cars between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to leave under the safety car, leaving one lap to race. Mercedes objected to this choice afterwards, but the FIA did not vindicate the team.

Wolff thinks Alonso deserved the podium

At the 2023 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, Alonso was given a 10-second time penalty after the race, losing his podium spot. Aston Martin objected to this decision. The FIA and the stewards ruled in Aston Martin's favour, and therefore, Alonso regained his third spot, which would otherwise have gone to George Russell. According to Wolff, the FIA acted hastily in both cases.

"First of all, the penalty was super harsh because, from the pure driving performance, Fernando and Aston Martin deserved to be on the podium," Wolff began his analysis. "I’d rather have the FIA come to the right decisions than be too quick and obviously fall into something that’s wrong. We’ve been victims of that in 2021, where everything was down to the entertainment for a quick decision, and it robbed the greatest driver of the championships. So in that respect, I think I’d rather not go to the podium and have the correct result afterwards."