2022 F1 US GP: Fernando Alonso feels Lance Stroll's penalty is 'very harsh'

Fernando Alonso believes that the penalty instated on Lance Stroll following the crash involving both drivers during the 2022 F1 US Grand Prix was very 'harsh.'

Upon analyzing the visuals, the FIA found Stroll largely to blame and received a 3-place grid penalty for the 2022 F1 Mexican GP. Alonso, however, felt it was just an 'unlucky' moment in the race. He said:

"I think it was a very unlucky moment. In a way, I think his penalty is very harsh. But it's the way it is."

During the US GP last weekend, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were involved in a major crash that saw the Canadian retire from the race. He apparently jinked left while Alonso was performing an overtake, which sent the latter's Alpine up in the air at an extremely high speed. Surprisingly though, the Spaniard continued the race without any major damage other than the front wing.

At a press conference ahead of this weekend's Mexican GP, Fernando Alonso said that he took the slipstream of the Aston Martin aggressively as there was no DRS. He said:

"There was no DRS on the first laps after the Safety Car goes in, so I have to take the slipstream very aggressively until the very last moment. I moved to the left, he moved to the left in the same moment more or less protecting and we touched."

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Fernando Alonso thinks it was an 'unlucky moment of the race'

When Fernando Alonso was asked about the incident during the aforementioned press conference, he revealed that he had spoken to Lance Stroll after the incident in the stewards' room. He stated that his view on the crash is still the same as it was during that time, terming it 'an unlucky moment from the race'.

The Alpine driver said:

"We talked already after the race in his garage, and then in the stewards’ room, because we had to go there and yeah, my view is was the same after the race and the same in the stewards’ room, and the same now. I think it was an unlucky moment of the race."

Alonso went on to finish the race P7. He was, however, handed a 30-second time penalty post-race after Haas protested his broken mirror that fell on the track during the race. This saw him drop down to P15. After Alpine protested Haas' plea, however, the FIA rescinded his penalty and his P7 finish was reinstated.