Fernando Alonso's aggressive manoeuvre during the final stages of the Australian GP has sparked significant controversy. Critics, including seasoned commentators and the FIA itself, believe Alonso's action of "using his elbows" exceeded acceptable limits.
The incident not only drew the ire of observers but also led the FIA to impose three penalty points on Alonso's superlicence and a 20-second penalty for his role in a dramatic event that concluded the Melbourne race prematurely.
Mercedes driver George Russell expressed sheer panic over the team radio, demanding red flags following a severe crash, which many speculate was the result of Alonso's 'brake test'.
Pedro de la Rosa, a close associate of Alonso and a representative for Aston Martin, voiced his disagreement with the FIA's ruling. "They cannot tell the drivers how to drive," he contended.
"No one here deliberately stood on the brakes. Fernando was merely defending his position, as any racer would. Russell needed to foresee that Alonso would pull out all stops to achieve the optimal exit at turn 6, given his vulnerability on the lengthy back straight."
Despite these defenses, the FIA concluded Alonso's combination of "lifting, braking" and "downshifting" significantly earlier than typical was sufficiently reckless to warrant the imposed penalty.
Robert Doornbos, a former competitor with Red Bull, highlighted on Ziggo Sport that Alonso's "Oscar-worthy performance" in attributing the contentious turn 6 approach to technical malfunctions did not sit well with the stewards. "If you give an Oscar-worthy performance, shouting about the battery and the pedal, and he didn't have those problems, the FIA saw that and said 'You're talking nonsense'," he critiqued.
"The FIA asked for the data and they saw that the closing rate was enormous. It's also not the first time Alonso has brake tested a competitor. A bit of push and pull is part of it, but that went too far," Doornbos further commented.
Timo Glock, another former F1 driver, shared his insights with Sky Deutschland, indicating, "Fernando is always using his elbows. I think he knew exactly what he was doing. His strategy was to surprise Russell, slow him down and then accelerate early to create a gap. However, it was so unexpected for Russell. Alonso extends his elbows and uses these grey areas to his advantage."
Alonso, at 42, defended his tactics on social media, citing his "more than 20 years of experience, with epic duels like Imola 2005-2006, Brazil 2023, changing racing lines, sacrificing entry speed for better exits" as "part of the art of motorsport."
This incident could potentially complicate Alonso's future prospects in F1, as he's considered a leading candidate to succeed Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next year.
"I don't want to accuse Alonso of anything, because I only watched a few laps back so far," remarked Toto Wolff, the team principal at Mercedes, in Melbourne. "But he braked on the lap of Russell's crash at a point where he had not braked before."
