Fernando Alonso doubles down on his stance against the penalty he received at the F1 Australian GP

Fernando Alonso claimed that the Albert Park circuit was a factor in him being penalized at the Australian GP. Speaking to onsite media ahead of the Japanese GP, the Spanish driver felt that if the same incident had occurred at another track, it would not have resulted in a penalty.

At the Australian GP, Fernando Alonso slowed down after Turn 6 on the Albert Park circuit, with George Russell chasing him closely. As a result of the significant drop in pace from Alonso, the Briton was forced to brake which resulted in him losing control and flipping his car on the track. Alonso was subsequently penalized for what was deemed as dangerous driving by the FIA stewards.

The move made by Fernando Alonso and the penalty received has led to polarized opinions about the incident. Many believe the Aston Martin driver deliberately brake-tested the Briton and miscalculated the move. On the contrary, some, including the former champion himself, believe the penalty was harsh.

When Fernando Alonso was asked whether the incident would have been ignored if Russell had not crashed, he said (via motorsport.com):

“100%. If he was in Abu Dhabi with a run off area of asphalt or whatever, I think George will rejoin the track a few metres after that and will try to have a go on me on the following lap, or the following straight. And it will not be any problem. I think that the big thing is Turn 6 in Australia, it is not the safest corner at the moment on that track.”

“We saw an accident last year with Alex [Albon] in the race, and this year in free practice where he damaged the chassis. Also in F2, I think Dennis [Hauger] crashed there as well. George obviously in the race. And that's probably for me a more important point to change for next year than what the driver in front of me will be able to do or not do, as long as I don't need to make an avoiding action or whatever to avoid him, which was not the case. That was my point after Australia, and still now. I will move on. I don't want to speak too much on that.”

Further summarizing his views on the penalty, Alonso added:

“It was the hardest penalty of the season in terms of time lap, which is strange, but the fact it got penalised [was the main issue].”

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Fernando Alonso refuses to make changes to his driving approach after Australian GP penalty

Fernando Alonso stated that he does not feel obligated to make changes to his driving approach after the penalty in Melbourne. After the incident with Russell, he stated that the rules of engagement in terms of defensive driving were clear.

Alonso also claimed that drivers sometimes slow down to deploy DRS tactics or for fuel saving and tyre management. Fernando Alonso was quoted as saying (via motorsport.com):

“It was clear. And I think it's still clear. It was a little bit surprising, the penalty in Melbourne. There is nothing we can do, we have to accept it and move on and concentrate on here. But I think it will not change much on how we drive and how we approach racing. There is no obligation to drive 57 laps in the same way. Sometimes we get a slower pace, to save fuel, to save tyres, to save battery.”

“And sometimes we go slow into corners, or into some sectors of the track, to give the DRS to the car behind because that will be a useful tool if the second car behind is at a faster pace. All those things are completely normal. And it was, it is and it will be forever in motorsports. So we had one penalty, probably a one-off, that we will never apply ever again.”

Known for his defensive driving tactics, Fernando Alonso has often been called the ‘master of defense’ by many.

The penalty in Melbourne resulted in the former Spanish champion finishing eighth in the race. According to several drivers at the press conference in Japan, it will be a subject discussed in the driver's briefing this weekend.