Aston Martin has backed Fernando Alonso while praising his skills, as they move on from F1 Australian GP penalty.
The end of the F1 Australian GP caught everyone by surprise when Mercedes’ George Russell crashed at Turn 6 and lay sideways in the middle of the track with a chance of a major incident in the high-speed corner but fortunately nothing of that happened.
Russell was chasing Alonso for sixth when the Spaniard tried a different approach to Turn 6 and it seemingly upset the Brit to go off and crash into the barrier. The stewards did penalise the Spaniard as a result but did not doubted his intentions.
Alonso was naturally upset with the penalty as he left a strong message on his social media. There was deliberation about appealing the penalty, but Aston Martin has since decided not to due to lack of evidence, with a message from Mike Krack on Tuesday.
The team has backed Alonso and his integrity while accepting the decision. “I wanted to thank you for all the messages of support the team have received since Sunday and the final results of the Australian Grand Prix,” wrote Aston Martin boss Krack.
“Firstly, in motorsport everyone is relieved that George was okay and walked away after his accident. I want you to know that we fully support Fernando. He is the most experienced driver in Formula 1. He has competed in more grands prix than anyone else and has more than 20 years of experience. He is a multiple world champion in multiple categories.
“To receive a 20-second time penalty when there was no contact with the following car has been a bitter pill to swallow, but we have to accept the decision. We made our best case but without new evidence we are unable to request a right of review. Fernando is a phenomenal racer and he was using every tool in his toolbox to finish ahead of George – just like we saw in Brazil last year with Sergio.
“This is the Art of Motorsport at the highest level. He would never put anyone in harm’s way. Thank you to everyone who has got in touch. We move forward together. We can’t wait to race in front of our fans in Suzuka in a few days time,” summed up Krack. The penalty meant Aston Martin remains behind Mercedes in the constructors’ order.
Here’s George Russell, Toto Wolff on no red flag
Here’s Fernando Alonso on penalty call plus explaining his side
Here’s how F1 Australian GP panned out plus stewards’ explanation
Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact
