Mercedes' role in Alonso's F1 penalty controversy revealed by newspapers
Mar.22 - It was Mercedes that was responsible for alerting the FIA to Aston Martin's pitstop penalty transgression in Saudi Arabia.
That is the claim of the newspapers Bild (Germany) and Blick (Switzerland).
They each separately reported that Toto Wolff-led Mercedes asked the governing body to look at whether a mechanic had touched the green Mercedes-powered car with a jack while Fernando Alonso was serving a penalty during the Jeddah race.
The subsequent penalty initially cost the 41-year-old Spaniard his podium place, although after a farcical process Alonso's third position was reinstated at 1.02am on Monday morning.
"According to our information, it was the Silver Arrows who gave the FIA race stewards the hint through their radio system during the race," Bild claimed.
Mercedes declined to officially comment on the claim.
But boss Wolff did admit that his team saw the transgression of Alonso's mechanic.
"We saw it and played the video a few times. It wasn't entirely clear if there would be a penalty," said the Austrian.
Reportedly, the FIA initially penalised Alonso because it thought there was an agreement between the teams that merely touching a car was a no-no.
But that agreement apparently did not exist - and so the decision was reversed.
Wolff now admits that he would be open to ensuring such a misunderstanding never happens again.
"We need to discuss whether a penalty is correct if the jack just touches the car," he said. "Maybe that needs to be changed, even if we may benefit in such a case."
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King G told the press , Alonso didn't deserve the penalty etc etc etc Hence why Torger back tracked during the sky interviews later Christian the snitch and there lawyer fail again, is that what it comes down too , so desperate to look good for the Bod they run to the Fia, very sad, very sad
Tell tale tackler comes to mind.even small hids dislike tell tales
Edit...kids
You are right "Kids don't like tell tales"....and NOR WILL FERNANDO, he will give the drones @ MERCO BENZ what they deserve, he will be watching them LIKE A HAWKE !!!!
I know my memory is not as good as it used to be, but was it not at Silverstone, in 2021 I think, where Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton took out young Max Emilian Verstappen, sending him to the hospital and wiping out his car? I’m pretty sure that I’m right….
Yes, yes, I know I’m right, and Hamilton was severely punished for his action: he got a whole big TEN second penalty. Now that fixed his wagon all right, you always get what you deserve from the FIA.
No way was the FIA going to let Leclerc win, and at Silverstone to boot, anything more than 10 seconds and Lewis (some call him Lulu and other names, but not me, I’m always respectful) might have been in trouble.
So now, if some mechanic slips a jack under Alonzo’s car at the wrong time, even if it makes NO DIFFERENCE at all, the first knee jerk reaction from these bozos is to give him a TEN SECOND penalty. Does that seem fair to anyone out there? To me it only looks that the bozos were trying to gyp him from his third place. And to the rest of the world it was DUMB and so they reversed themselves, making themselves look even dumber.
How can these supposed knowledgeable people be so stupid? Could we try and do just a little better?
Sadly no, To up themselves.
Flag waving Lala, but hell never live in Britain, are you suggesting another win for the Dame this year at SS?, or perhaps a last lap pass by ?????? suggestions welcome
As has been mentioned more than a few times, F1 misses Charlie W
Why is everything a 'controversy' in F1 these days? I'll tell you why, instant news dissemination. Back in the day this would have been a footnote when the race description came out the following Monday. Race Report: Fernando Alonzo, despite a penalty for starting outside his box, finished on the podium behind the all powerful Red Bull team. Mercedes Benz suggested that the stewards look at he way Alonzo served his penalty, but their query went for naught.
Except in those days Mercedes was not racing in F1.
Very poetic account though.
Re reading this Christians says his team saw it , but then re watched it 50/60 times......... before deciding to be the F1 snitch of the season.
Always a good way to stay well in with your customers, dobb them in to the daft police.
Nobody likes a snitch, not little boys or convicts. If the FIA are incapable of catching out of aligned cars on the starting grid, then so be it. F1 is becoming a melodrama. Drivers complaining, team principles are complaining, Dads of drivers are adding their two cents. Just drives the frigging cars and everybody else shut up.
You are the voice of reason in a sea of shite posts
Thank you, you have great insight
I can't stand to see teams like Red Bull just waiting for the chance to call out another team over some bullshit thing. They look like " f*cking wankers". Like little whiney idiots. Let the FIA determine if penalties are warranted. And keep parents from instigating crap ( Jos )
Just let the drivers drive, politics suck in racing.
Since instant communications globally became a "thing", the bar over which a person has to jump to be offended has been lowered to ground level.
Social skills? Who needs 'em? Manners, perspective, humility? Nah! Moral and ethical compasses are all subjective, now. It depends on how a person feels today.
So, dear old Tonto gets on the blower because an Aston pit-crew looked at the car before he felt it appropriate. And all it is is a push of a button away from complaining to the FIA / Stewards.
Regrettably, the Stewards are no better. Soiling themselves in their haste to punish, before a rational review had taken place. RoR nailed it.