Alonso, suspended, loses podium 100 due to an error by an Aston Martin mechanic

Fernando Alonso I had completed another dream weekend that finally did not end as expected. The Spaniard finished in third position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, establishing himself as one of the best drivers in this World Cup. However, he dropped to fourth, behind Russell as he was penalized ten seconds for not serving the five-second penalty (imposed at the start) correctly. For his part, Carlos Sainz he was sixth in a race in which Sergio Pérez had no rival.

It all started too good to be true. alonso he pulled mischief to overtake Sergio Pérez and position himself as the leader of the race. It was hard to hold on in that position. but it was up to the Mexican to recover the lost position. That illusion ended as soon as he received a five-second penalty for incorrect position on the starting grid. And then he added the ten when he finished the race.

Alonso’s crack

That ten-second penalty was totally inexplicable. In addition, it came after Fernando had climbed to the podium with Verstappen and Pérez. It happened on lap 20 and they waited more than an hour to report it. They didn’t even announce the investigation until the end of the race. The added bonus of everything was that this third place meant the Asturian’s 100th podium.

Alonso did not bite his tongue and fired at the FIA: “If they tell me that I have ten seconds, I could have thrown much more… But, of course, since they have not said anything. Even so, I have a very good taste in my mouth. (…) Apparently they didn’t have time… The FIA ​​didn’t look very good, they had an hour to tell me about the penalty. Let’s see, because the team doesn’t agree.”

The reality is that the Red Bull play in another League. Pérez barely took three laps to regain the lead, taking advantage of the good condition of his car. With his partner, Max Verstappen, so far behind (the Dutchman started 15th), it was his chance to get the first victory of the season. And he did not miss it.

A maneuver without prize for Ferrari

Verstappen, although he had started behind, started quickly with his particular comeback. For the defending champion, it was a mere formality to overcome pilots like Tsunoda and Ocon. At first, it was difficult for him to pass Hamilton, but the real duel between the two seems to have concluded in that epic race in 2021.

The maneuver of Ferrari It was useful at first. Sainz threatened to make a save that turned out to be a bluff. Stroll fell into the trap and pitted. The man from Madrid took advantage of it to ride faster with the medium tire and then go for the hard ones.

The dynamics of the circuit had changed. As the halfway point of the race approached, virtually the entire field had switched to the hard tyres. There everything changed. Stroll’s car stopped and, as usual in Jeddah, the safety car. Ferrari’s plan, therefore, did not go as expected. And he hurt them. Because Verstappen overtook Carlos Sainz and placed fourth.

The presence of the ‘safety-car’

The safety car allowed Alonso to comply with the five-second penalty, but brought the most dangerous of the pursuers closer, Verstappen. It didn’t take long for the Dutchman to beat Russell and the Asturian. Once again, the spectators verified who are the clear favorites in this World Cup. And why the Red Bull are several steps above the rest of the teams.

Carlos Sainz, who had already suffered from the safety car when making the second stop, he saw how he was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton. The Briton waited for his moment to leave him behind in a straight line in which the man from Madrid had little to do. Ferrari, a priori the only rival of Red Bull this season, has seen how Mercedes and Aston Martin have passed over this race.

The result, finally, was the same as in the first race. Alonso repeated the podium, behind the Red Bulls, but then they took it from him. He also had to defend that position again, although Russell’s attack was less vehement than Carlos Sainz’s. Fernando is in great shape. In a kind of second youth that has excited all Spaniards with another World Cup, despite the fact that this season seems far away.

It looked like the Red Bulls would have a battle for victory, but Perez’s superiority was uncontested in the race. With barely 12 laps to go, problems arose for Verstappen. “Everything is perfect”, they told the Dutchman from the team, who replied: “No, mate, something is wrong”. Alonso was notified, but that inconvenience came to nothing. The moment of high tension was not repeated by the current champion.

Verstappen insisted to his team that they need to verify what was happening, because he noticed something strange. Fortunately for the interests of Red Bull, the car remained the same until the end of the race and the Dutchman continued his business. Of course, Pérez’s victory was inevitable. The smiles, however, are also at Aston Martin. But then they were deleted.

Fernando Alonso I had completed another dream weekend that finally did not end as expected. The Spaniard finished in third position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, establishing himself as one of the best drivers in this World Cup. However, he dropped to fourth, behind Russell as he was penalized ten seconds for not serving the five-second penalty (imposed at the start) correctly. For his part, Carlos Sainz he was sixth in a race in which Sergio Pérez had no rival.