This Thursday is an important day for F1 says Alonso
Oct.26 - Thursday will be "an important day" for Formula 1, according to Fernando Alonso.
It will be on that day that the FIA will consider Alpine's protest against the highly controversial penalty that dropped Alonso out of the points after Austin.
The Spaniard was hailed for his recovery drive after a scary crash with his 2023 Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll.
Esteban Ocon (FRA) Alpine F1 Team A522 and Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Haas VF-22 battle for position during the 2022 United States Grand Prix
Stroll will move three grid places back in Mexico as a result of the incident, but fellow Canadian Jacques Villeneuve thinks the 23-year-old should actually have been banned.
"He should be suspended for one race," the 1997 world champion told the Dutch publication Formule 1.
"Moving on a straight like that is the most dangerous manoeuvre you possibly can make, and the driver is acting intentionally, not by mistake."
The real controversy, however, is about Alonso's recovery to seventh place after his airborne crash - and the FIA's decision to penalise him long after the chequered flag following a protest lodged by Haas.
Haas has been complaining all year about being penalised for carrying crash damage, with Gunther Steiner insisting that its protest is not aimed at Alpine but rather at the FIA.
"For me, it's about consistency," he said. "The FIA is the regulator and they must be consistent."
The crux of Haas' argument is that Alonso crossed the line with a side mirror missing - a clear rule violation. But the F1 and even wider sporting worlds were not impressed with the FIA's decision.
"We have just seen that our Alonso car at the Rafa Nadal Museum is also missing a rear-view mirror," the official Twitter account of the aforementioned official museum said.
"We hope not to be sanctioned by the FIA."
Former Indycar driver Oriol Servia agreed: "The hypocrisy of the FIA in penalising Fernando six hours after the race is reaching unacceptable levels."
Indeed, even the post-race scrutineering report signed off by Jo Bauer gave Alonso's car the green-light.
The FIA will consider Alpine's protest on Thursday, ahead of the Mexico GP.
"It's one of those rare times in sport that I feel we are all on the same page and share the same opinion towards the rules and regulations," Alonso said on social media.
"Therefore Thursday is an important day for the sport that we love so much, as the decision will dictate if we are going in the right direction for the future."
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As Gunther says, this is not about Alonso, but rather three times, Kevin Magnussen has been forced to pit to change a front wing, and all three times ruining his race. So simply pointing out the double standard makes Haas look like the bad guys. Come on. And actually, it was about Perez' end plate that was dismissed, which is the same infraction that Magnussen has been slighted by.
The FIA has lost its way. No longer is it an Institution with a solid foundation of credibility, common-sense decisions and a history of consistent, fair rulings.
Those days are long gone.
Instead, what do we have? Inconsistent Race Director's. Steward's that accept complaints AFTER the deadline to do so has elapsed. Announcing penalties hours after the race. Hiring a Chief Counsel with a bias. One word sums it up for me: Corruption. The FIA is corrupt.
The genesis of the crash of course, is Knuckles intentionally jinking to the left down a straight - and he gets a 3-place penalty! I agree with Jaques Villeneuve, Knuckles ought to get at least a one-race ban.
This doesn't auger well for next year, with Alonso off to Aston Martin. Sheesh.
Alonso will soon put him back in his box, then have a fight with Smurf Snr
LOL
This just out on the Formula1 web-site:
"Alpine then disputed Haas's protests on the grounds that they had been lodged too late – 24 minutes past the specified deadline – but the FIA concluded in Mexico City that "there is no ability or right for any party to “protest” a decision of the Stewards nor against a summons to a hearing.""
Yet another nail in the coffin of the FIA's tattered credibility. FFS - who do these people think they are. Oh, right, God Almighty - after all, they come from a continent ruled by unelected officials given free reign to arbitrarily levy non-tarrif trade barriers.
Un-believable, jaw-dropping arrogance.
So, the FIA reversed it's decision and gave Alonso back his points.
Un-doing a pathetic decision does not redeem their original poor choices. The underlying bits that are broken, are still broken.