Alonso penalized after incident with Zhou moves closer to suspension
The Spanish driver was found responsible by the FIA for contact with Chinese driver Guanyu Zhou on the approach to Turn 3. Alonso, who has had another difficult race in his Aston Martin, has had 2 license points deducted from his super-license and is closing in on a Grand Prix suspension.
It’s bad news that Alonso would have preferred to do without. Qualified only 15th, the Spaniard was quite pessimistic about his chances of scoring points in an increasingly struggling Aston Martin. Unfortunately, Sunday’s Grand Prix did not change the situation for the British team with no points scored this weekend and Alonso penalized by the stewards.
The driver of car 14 attempted a very late overtake on car 24 inside turn 3. He was never in a position to have the right to the racing line and made contact with car 24 at the apex. The stewards consider that the driver of car 14 is fully responsible », reads the FIA statement regarding this incident.
On the 20th lap, the Spaniard, battling with the Chinese driver and Racing Bulls’ driver Daniel Ricciardo, attempted a braking move on the Sauber driver going up turn 3. Zhou, who saw the Spaniard coming, leaves him enough room on the inside. However, the Spaniard, too optimistic, jumps on the brakes, locks his wheels, and hits the Chinese driver causing damage to both cars.
Indeed, Fernando Alonso’s front left wheel hits the Sauber driver’s sidepods quite violently, even pushing him off the track after a second contact between the two drivers where the Spaniard catches the Chinese driver’s rear right wheel, destabilizing his car and sending him off the corner.
The FIA therefore quickly opened an investigation and deemed Alonso responsible for the incident. The two-time F1 world champion receives a double penalty: a 10-second penalty that he served in the pit lane during the race as well as two points on his license, bringing his total to 8 out of the 12 points he has.
« The driver of car 14 attempted a very late overtaking on car 24 on the inside of turn 3. He was never in a position to have the right to the racing line and made contact with car 24 at the apex. The stewards consider that the driver of car 14 is fully responsible. » explains the FIA statement.
« We have our home race next week and the team is doing everything possible to improve the car. » After the race, which he finished in 18th position, the Spaniard nevertheless remained optimistic for the rest of the season and hopes that Aston Martin can turn things around this weekend at Silverstone.
With this sanction, the Spaniard is now only 4 points away from a potential Grand Prix suspension.
