Following the events of the sprint session during the Chinese Grand Prix, Aston Martin has come out to dismiss the penalty against Fernando Alonso. The Silverstone-based team has called for a meeting with the FIA, alongside Ferrari. As per SoyMotor, the meeting will take place on Friday via a video call, where Aston Martin will present video evidence that proves the Spanish driver has not committed any ‘crimes’ in China.
Guilty of ‘causing a collision’ with Carlos Sainz, Alonso received a 10-second penalty. A further three points were then deducted from his super license because of the incident.
According to the race stewards, Fernando Alonso hadn’t left enough space for Sainz, leading to the collision. While the former world champion came off worse after the collision, Ferrari’s race was also hurt.
Following the driver’s disagreement with the severity of the sanction, his team is taking the baton off him. Hence, a meeting is called for Friday at two in the afternoon (Spanish time).
The meeting will be divided into two parts, with the first part only hearing Aston Martin‘s defense. They will also see whether there is a compelling piece of previously unavailable footage that can absolve Alonso.
Should this be the case, the meeting will proceed to Part Two. The argument will proceed in accordance with Article 14.3 of the FIA International Sports Code.
The sanction left Alonso even questioning his participation in future sprint sessions. He claimed such actions make one think if they “even want to go out for a run“. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz thought that Alonso was optimistic in his approach to try and overtake him.
Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz look back at the collision in Shanghai
Initially believed to be a racing incident, the sprint session collision soon turned serious, with Fernando Alonso coming off as the losing party. Aside from retiring from the race, Alonso also suffered a penalty that could gravely harm the rest of his season. Addressing the same, the Aston Martin driver alleged Sainz did not leave enough space for him to overtake.
Even Charles Leclerc complained about his teammate’s driving on the day. The Monegasque resonated with the words of Alonso as he, too, claimed Sainz did not leave him any space to overtake, which led to Ferrari losing out on a P3 finish.
Meanwhile, the #55 driver pinned the entire blame on Alonso. According to Sainz, Alonso made an optimistic lunge to get past him, which did not work. Furthermore, he believes Alonso plagued Ferrari‘s overall race. The 29-year-old believes if Alonso hadn’t collided with him, Ferrari had a shot at securing a podium finish.
