Aston Martin F1 News: FIA Delivers Verdict on Fernando Alonso Penalty Appeal

The FIA upheld the penalty given to Fernando Alonso after reviewing Aston Martin’s appeal.

Nov 15, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso of Spain speaks during / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Following the on-track incident at the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint Race, the FIA has upheld the penalty issued to Fernando Alonso despite Aston Martin's appeal. The decision came after a review of additional evidence presented by Aston Martin.

During a highly contentious moment, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz were involved in a collision that significantly impacted both their races. The incident led to a 10-second penalty and three penalty points for Alonso, which the Aston Martin team challenged, citing new evidence.

Repercussions from such incidents are scrutinized meticulously under the FIA International Sporting Code. Article 14.3 facilitates a review process initiated by teams if new substantial evidence is presented. Reacting to the penalty, Aston Martin called for a video conference with the stewards to reassess the scenario.

During the review, the evidence provided by Aston Martin was carefully evaluated against the stewards' initial findings, which originally deemed Alonso's actions as overly aggressive, warranting the on-track penalty. After detailed deliberation, it was concluded that the new evidence provided didn’t significantly alter the context of the incident. Consequently, the stewards decided to uphold the original penalty decision, maintaining Alonso’s accumulated penalty points which now total six over a 12-month period.

Alonso commented on the clash just after the Chinese Grand Prix, stating:

"It was tough racing with a couple of corners parallel to each other, wheel to wheel battle, at the end someone has to give up. I gave up at Turn 8, the racing line, to avoid contact and he didn't give up in Turn 9 and we didn't avoid the contact."