Fernando Alonso found himself in a fierce battle with the Ferraris for third place during the closing laps of the Shanghai sprint event, grappling with rapidly deteriorating tires.
In the heat of the fight, Alonso and Carlos Sainz exchanged positions multiple times. But their duel culminated in a collision at Turn 9, causing Alonso to suffer a puncture. This forced him to pit for fresh tires, ultimately leading to his retirement from the race.
Following the incident, both drivers were summoned by the stewards to discuss the clash. After deliberation, the stewards determined that Alonso was at fault for the collision, as he had the opportunity to avoid it.
Despite Alonso’s retirement, the stewards decided to apply a 10-second time penalty to his elapsed time. As per the established guidelines on driving standards. They also highlighted an ambiguity in the regulations regarding penalties for retired cars. Recommending clarity from the FIA on the matter.
Alonso, speaking to Spanish channel DAZN after the sprint, suggested that Sainz had not provided. Him with as much racing room as he had earlier in their battle.
“Turn 7, I think we were evenly matched, then in turn 8 I tried to go to the outside,” said Alonso. “But he opened the line to not leave me room, so in turn 9 I did the same thing he did in turn 8.
“I tried to go to the inside to not leave him room on the line, but in turn 8 I opened up so we didn’t touch, and in turn 9 he didn’t open up. So we touched.”
With the penalty, Alonso now has a total of six penalty points accumulated over the past 12 months.
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