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Former F1 world champion Damon Hill and F1 pundit Martin Brundle have contrasting views on Fernando Alonso's move during the 2024 F1 Australian GP. While Brundle was against Alonso's maneuver, Hill found it acceptable.
During the final stages of the race at Albert Park, George Russell was chasing Fernando Alonso for sixth place. The Mercedes driver was able to keep up with the veteran driver and was trying to take advantage of double DRS to overtake.
When both drivers approached turn 6, Alonso unexpectedly slowed down, catching Russell by surprise. This caused the British driver to lose control of the car and crash into the wall at turn 7. The race eventually ended under a virtual safety car.
Fernando Alonso was summoned by the stewards after the race for unnecessarily slowing down the car. He was then punished with a 20-second penalty for dangerously driving during the race.
In his column on Sky Sports, Martin Brundle criticized the 42-year-old's movement during the Australian GP. He added that the Spaniard used something similar back in 2003 against David Coulthard at Nurburgring. Brundle added how Alonso's move resulted in costly damage that Mercedes had to pay.
"We've seen Alonso do that before in Nurburgring in 2003 against David Coulthard, and he had exactly the same playbook. Except this time, it caused a huge amount of costly damage for a team who could well be on his wish list," Brundle wrote.
On the other hand, Damon Hill said on the F1 Nation podcast that though the FIA was trying to stop and punish dangerous driving, the sport itself was extremely dangerous. He added that if a driver is trying to overtake, he should be more careful and prepared.
“I do think this is where we get into the difficult area of what is racing and what is dastardly tricks.I think you have to assume that the FIA want to stop people doing things that are potentially dangerous, but then it is dangerous! Motor racing is dangerous. You have to be careful when you’re going for a move on someone, if you’re closing on them you’ve got to be prepared for them to do things that are gamesmanship," Hill said (via PlanetF1).
Fernando Alonso's reaction after receiving a hefty penalty for potentially driving dangerously in Australia
Fernando Alonso was not happy with the penalty imposed on him for driving dangerously. George Russell had a massive crash when he was chasing Alonso at Albert Park. The stewards summoned the 42-year-old and handed him a 20-second penalty, which dropped him from P6 to P8.
On his official X account, Fernando Alonso wrote:
"A bit surprised by a penalty at the end of the race regarding how we should approach the corners or how we should drive the race cars. At no point do we want to do anything wrong at these speeds. I believe that without gravel on that corner, on any other corner in the world we will never be even investigated."
Fernando Alonso is currently eighth in the drivers' championship table with only 16 points in his pocket. In 2023, he was in third place after the Australian GP, behind the two Red Bull drivers.
