Fernando Alonso after finishing 3rd at the 2021 Qatar GP
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso registered a P3 finish at the Saudi Arabian GP in Jeddah – why was his penalty reversed?
Fernando Alonso‘s season has got off to a dramatic start in Bahrain and there was more in store at Jeddah. The Aston Martin driver had finished P3 initially, but he lost his podium place finish to Mercedes’ George Russell after being handed a 10-second penalty.
However, the decision was later reviewed, and Alonso’s podium finish has eventually been reinstated which means he has now registered a 100th F1 career podium finish.
The two-time F1 World Champion had an eventful outing in Jeddah. He was initially handed a five-second penalty for lining up outside his grid slot and a further 10-second penalty was added alleging that Alonso had not served his first penalty correctly.
After review, the FIA reversed the decision and stated: “Having reviewed the new evidence, we concluded that there was no clear agreement, as was suggested to the Stewards previously, that could be relied upon to determine that parties had agreed that a jack touching a car would amount to working on the car. In the circumstances, we considered that our original decision to impose a penalty on Car 14 needed to be reversed and we did so accordingly.”
This comes across as a great piece of news for Aston Martin and Alonso, who has now registered back-to-back podium finishes.
Fernando Alonso’s season has got off to an epic start after his incredible P3 finish in Bahrain followed by the one in Jeddah.
The 41-year-old has now bagged 30 points from two races, showing the world that he has still got it in him to challenge the best in the grid and everyone can’t help but admire the Spaniard’s grit and determination.
The two-time World Champion joined Aston Martin from Alpine ahead of this season, with an ambition to take the world by storm and the project has certainly got off to an epic start.
In his illustrious career till date, Fernando Alonso has won two F1 world championships – 2005 and 2006 with Renault. In an F1 career spanning over 20 years, Alonso has driven for top tier teams like Renault, McLaren and Ferrari besides his former team, Alpine.
The 41-year-old has registered 32 Grand Prix wins along with 98 podium finishes. He is certainly one of the greatest drivers in the sport and would look to reach new heights at Aston Martin, during what possibly is the final lap of his F1 career.
Follow our dedicated Formula One page for instant Formula One news and updates