Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso is “happy” to have claimed back-to-back podiums amidst controversy in 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Alonso qualified third but was promoted to second due to a ten-place grid penalty for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, which proved enough for the Spaniard to claim the lead on the race start.
Stewards however determined that Alonso was too far towards the left of his grid box and hit the Spaniard with a five-second time penalty, before Alonso lost the lead to eventual race winner – Sergio Perez at the start of Lap 4.
Alonso nevertheless clung on comfortably to second place in the opening stint until the Safety Car was deployed on Lap 17 after Lance Stroll stopped with an issue, which led him to pit at the end of the following lap under which he served his penalty just prior to the pit crew changing his tyres.
That pit stop however proved controversial as Stewards adjudged that Aston Martin’s mechanics had began working on the car before the five seconds were up, and hit Alonso with a 10s time penalty post-race to drop him from third to fourth in the classification.
Aston Martin consequently appealed via a right to review process which proved successful, as the FIA rescinded Alonso’s penalty and reinstated the two-time champion to third place – having lost second to Max Verstappen on Lap 25.
Alonso therefore was left “happy” to claim his second podium of the season and his 100th overall podium in F1, as he iterated that their performance underlined their potential to “be the second fastest team” with “good pace” to fight with Mercedes and Ferrari.
Explaining his mistake on the starting grid, Alonso explained that it was his “mistake” in lining up the car but was pleased to had pushed to ensure a five-second gap, which proved crucial in his pit stop to avoid being jumped by George Russell – who briefly was promoted to third post-race.
Alonso also noted that he believes that the team can continue to challenge in coming races, as he added: “Coming into this weekend we were not sure exactly where we would be, so this is good news for us going into the next few races.”
Team Principal, Mike Krack added that seeing Alonso’s second podium of the season reinstated felt “very satisfying”, which served as “a very impressive milestone” for the Spaniard who notched up his 100th F1 podium finish.
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