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Victor Petkov
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Alonso hit with 20-seconds penalty in Australia for Russell crash
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The Spaniard deliberately slowed down in the last lap, which led to the incident

After the finish of the Australian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso received a 20-second time penalty from the stewards due to his driving behavior leading up to George Russell’s crash, which was deemed “potentially dangerous.”

Russell, driving for Mercedes, was closing in on Alonso’s Aston Martin with fresher tires in the final laps of the race. Approaching the Turn 6/7 complex on the last lap, Russell lost control of his car and collided with the barriers after encountering the slower-moving Alonso.

The stewards, including former F1 driver Johnny Herbert, reviewed the incident post-race and spoke with both drivers. They determined that Alonso’s driving warranted a penalty, converting it into a 20-second time penalty, causing him to drop from sixth to eighth place in the final standings. This promoted his teammate Lance Stroll and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda.

In their detailed report, the stewards explained that Alonso had altered his approach to Turn 6, intending to lift earlier and enter with less speed for a better exit. Russell described Alonso’s maneuver as erratic and unexpected, leading to a rapid closing of the gap and subsequent loss of control at the corner’s apex. Despite no contact between the cars, telemetry data revealed significant changes in Alonso’s driving pattern compared to previous laps.

The stewards concluded that Alonso’s actions created a situation of potentially dangerous driving, as per the regulation stating that cars must not be driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically, or in a manner endangering other drivers or individuals.