Aston Martin's team boss posts statement on Alonso's time penalty

F1 News

statement by aston martin on alonso time penalty australia gp
27 March at 07:44
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  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

After the Australian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso was given a 20-second time penalty for a controversial situation with George Russell on the last lap. Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack reacts to the incident in a statement.

After driving close behind for a long time, Fernando Alonso stayed ahead of George Russell's Mercedes. On the last lap, a peculiar situation occurred. Alonso drove around turn 6 differently to normal. The gap closed significantly, and Russell lost control of the car. As a result, he hit the wall quite hard and ended up on his side on the track.

For this incident, the Spaniard received a 20-second penalty after the race. Fernando Alonso himself has already expressed his disagreement with the penalty. According to him, this is part of racing, and you are not responsible if you do not drive exactly the same way every lap.

Team boss Mike Krack also disagrees with the penalty. In a statement, he reveals that the team wanted to appeal but failed without new evidence.

Read Aston Martin's statement here

"Firstly, in motorsport everyone is relieved that George was ok and walked away after his accident. I want you to know that we fully support Fernando. He is the most experienced driver in Formula One. He has competed in more Grands Prix than anyone else and has more than 20-years of experience. He is a multiple World Champion in multiple categories," Krack said.

"To receive a 20-second time penalty when there was no contact with the following car has been a bitter pill to swallow, but we have to accept the decision. We made our best case but without new evidence we are unable to request a right of review. Fernando is a phenomenal racer and he was using every tool in his toolbox to finish ahead of George - just like we saw in Brazil last year with Sergio. This is the Art of Motorsport at the highest level. He would never put anyone in harm's way."