"It confuses the crap out of everybody": Eddie Jordan fumes at Fernando Alonso's post-race penalty at the F1 Australian GP

Former F1 team principal Eddie Jordan berated the race stewards for Fernando Alonso's post-race penalty at the Australian GP as he claimed that "it confuses the crap out of everybody."

The Aston Martin driver was given a 20-second penalty, which converted into a two-place grid drop that saw him finish P8 after initially crossing the line in P6. The race stewards found the two-time world champion 'guilty' for his involvement in George Russell's crash on the penultimate lap at the Albert Park Circuit.

The Spaniard braked 100m before he was supposed to before heading into the straight, which caught the Mercedes driver by surprise and made his W15 unstable, resulting in him losing control.

While appearing on the Formula for Success podcast, Eddie Jordan quoted former F1 team boss Bernie Ecclestone while giving his take on the post-race penalty. He said (via RacingNews365):

"I really get so upset when I watch a race, and I think Alonso has finished fifth, or whatever it is, and then he’s demoted three [sic] places. I remember Bernie [Ecclestone], it was one of his pet hates.

"He’d say to the timekeepers and the stewards, ‘Never give me a set of results 30 minutes or an hour after the race with a different set of positions because it’s not fair on the television, it’s not fair on anyone and it confuses the crap out of everybody.'"

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Eddie Jordan gives his take on Fernando Alonso's defense against George Russell

Eddie Jordan stated that the move from Fernando Alonso looked 'semi suspicious' but he termed the Spanish driver a 'clever driver'.

As quoted by the aforementioned source, Jordan said:

"I saw it immediately, it was semi-suspicious to the eye. But remember this, it is Alonso’s position to defend. And we saw what he did with [Sergio] Perez in Brazil.

"He let Perez pass him so that he could get quicker down the straight. He is a very, very clever driver. There’s not many out there on that grid who could take on Fernando Alonso in mind games, because I think he is above everybody else."

Fernando Alonso was fuming at the decision as he took to social media to express his frustration with the penalty. He termed his defense as 'hard but fair racing' and also pointed out that he was looking ahead and not behind.

The penalty also impacted the Constructor's Championship as the loss of four points meant that Aston Martin remained behind Mercedes by a single point.