FIA Issue Penalty Update For Australian Grand Prix After Fernando Alonso Debacle
The FIA has put an end to the confusion around pitstop penalties for F1 drivers. This comes after Fernando Alonso's controversial situation at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where his penalty sparked debates and protests from fans and teams alike.
In a message sent to all team managers and FIA officials from single-seater director Steve Nielsen, the governing body clarified how in-race penalties should be served.
Alonso's case involved a five-second penalty for parking too far to the left of his grid box at the beginning of the race in Jeddah. The penalty was correctly served, but race control reported to the stewards in the closing laps that the rear jack appeared to touch the Aston Martin AMR23 before the five seconds had elapsed. This led to a further penalty for Alonso, which demoted him off the podium.
However, Aston Martin was successful in getting the decision overturned, reinstating the 100th podium of Alonso's career. This caused a stir among F1 fans, who claimed the back and forth of decision-making was chaotic and unfair when the Spanish driver had been able to celebrate on the podium before having the trophy taken away, given to George Russell, and then given back again.
The FIA has now clarified that no equipment whatsoever must touch the car when it is serving a penalty. This means that the physical touching of the car or driver by hand, tools or equipment (including the front and rear jacks) during any such penalty will all be considered to constitute work. Cooling fans remain permitted when a penalty is being served, but they must not physically touch the car until the time has elapsed.
This clarification will be in place starting from the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.