Fernando Alonso reckons the Thursday hearing is likely to be a watershed moment in F1 as he hopes the FIA takes back the penalty.
It was all happening in F1 US GP as a high-speed crash didn’t deter Alpine’s Alonso in a comeback in points despite damage to both his body and the car. But those moments of joy was short-lived as immediately Haas sprung into action and protested against them.
They were not against Alonso in particular, but against the ruling where both the Spaniard and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez weren’t shown the black and orange flag due to parts flapping around. The former had his mirror moving while the latter had an endplate.
The FIA heard the plea and cleared Red Bull but handed a 30s time penalty to Alonso which dropped him outside of points. While Alpine can’t challenge the penalty, they have instead challenged the admissibility of the Haas plea in the first place.
They feel 24 minutes had gone by after the deadline. The FIA has agreed to hear Alpine’s case on Thursday of F1 Mexico GP. The penalty is crucial for the likes of McLaren and Haas, both of whom need extra points in their respective constructors’ fight.
While McLaren is directly against Alpine, Haas are fighting with Aston Martin. For Alonso, the Thursday hearing is likely to be a watershed moment in F1 as many have questioned the decision of the FIA to penalise him hours after the grand prix.
“Thanks for all the messages I received yesterday and today,” wrote Alonso. “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 rules and regulations.
“Therefore, Thursday is an important day for the sport that we love so much, as this decision will dictate if we are going in the right direction for the future. Thanks again for all your support,” summed up Alonso, who played down the incident even though Lance Stroll was adjudged as the predominant factor in the collision.
Here’s Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso on collision
Here’s Alpine seeking to protest
Here’s all the details regarding the protest and penalty