A double standard in Formula 1? Alonso criticised the judging of racing incidents. How does the F1 race director react?

Fernando Alonso is a very well-known name in Formula 1. The legendary Spaniard is far from being afraid to speak his mind, this time not mincing his words when it comes to judging racing incidents or breaking the rules. Do you think he’s right?

Alonso is distinctly unhappy about one thing this season. And that is the way the race directorate decides on penalties for individual drivers. He’s also unhappy with the consistency of the race marshals.

He was very angry, for example, after the Austrian Grand Prix when Daniel Ricciardo overtook him as the Australian left the circuit. According to Alonso, the McLaren driver gained an advantage by going off the track.

Alonso also does not understand the incident at the Russian Grand Prix. Lando Norris was leading the race, chased by Lewis Hamilton. With a few laps to go, rain began to fall on the track, and then it got even thicker.

However, Norris decided to stay on track on dry tyres, which subsequently cost him the win. The slicks, which don’t shed any water from the tyres, were virtually impossible to ride after that.

On lap 51, the race leader even lost a minute! On the fifty-second circuit he was forced to go to his mechanics to change to wet tyres for the last lap.

The McLaren, which had lost all grip on the slicks, was virtually impossible to keep on the pit lane entry. As a result, Norris, or rather his Monopoly, left the pit lane entrance, crossing the white line separating the race circuit and the pit entrance for the first time.

The second time he crossed this point, he was returning to the pit lane entrance at the last moment. Probably due to this factor, the British driver escaped a penalty, receiving only a caution from the sports commissioners.

“Obviously different rules apply to different drivers. Or even differently, you can talk to some drivers in a completely different way every week,” Alonso said at a press conference after the Russian Grand Prix.

However, Alonso himself used the breakaway zone in Russia and then returned to the track. He did not receive a penalty for this, although he clearly gained some positions on his return to the circuit. After the Turkish Grand Prix, he decided to bring the subject up.

“It was just to confirm to myself that when I do something, it has a different reaction and different consequences in the next race,” he continued.

“I was an idiot on the track for most of the championship. For the first few races, a lot of drivers were passing me from the outside, or rather from outside the circuit (a reference to Ricciardo – ed.). In the next race nobody had any questions, but now after Sochi there are questions. This confirms everything,” he explained.

“We will see who else will cross the white line when entering the pits and we will also see what nationality and what penalty he will receive,” he concluded.

Alonso’s claim, however, is flatly denied by Michael Masi, the Formula 1 race director. But the Spaniard is not the only driver who feels the same way about the judging of incidents. Pierre Gasly had a very similar reaction after the Turkish Grand Prix.

The French driver received a penalty for contact with Alonso, which took place at the first corner. Gasly encountered understeer on the wet track and collided with the Alpine driver.

“Every driver is entitled to his opinion, whether he expresses it internally or in the media, that’s fine. The rules are the same for everyone. We judge every incident in exactly the same way and we also monitor the consequences,” Masi told Motorsport in an interview.

“The sports commissioners are independent and check everything that happens during the race. They look at everything on a case-by-case basis,” he added.

“Yes, you can distinguish between different types of racing incidents. But at the end of the day, they are the ones who check each case and make the right decision based on all the information and data available.

“And if there are things that aren’t quite right, we discuss them openly, tweak them and adjust them.” he concludes.

Whether you lean towards Gasly’s or Alonso’s opinion or how you actually assess the situation is up to you. But one thing is for sure, if we recall a few cases, the actions of sports commissioners are sometimes somewhat confusing.

Source: Motorsport