I can see this being a controversial penalty considering a part of the blame does fall on Russell for not reacting to Alonso slowing down (checking from the driver cam he seems to have plenty of time to react), but overall I think Alonso does deserve the penalty. I’m not sure what he was trying to accomplish but his deliberate actions cost Russell the race.
In the media pen Alonso himself said nothing about that, just said he was focused ahead of him and vaguely referenced battery deployment issues over the course of the race.
Perez drove an entire lap while going deliberately slow in every corner of sector 3 in Abu Dhabi and didn’t get penalized. Hamilton didn’t bin the car either. Considering that, there is no way this penalty is justified. What if Alonso had a sudden PU issue slowing him down¿? Would Russell still blame Alonso for the crash when it is his responsibility to react and maintain control¿?
The penalty wasn’t about being slow, it was about being erratic. This was effectively the same as weaving, except it was with the brake and throttle instead of the steering wheel.
Perez drove an entire lap while going deliberately slow in every corner of sector 3 in Abu Dhabi and didn’t get penalized. Hamilton didn’t bin the car either. Considering that, there is no way this penalty is justified.
FIA being inconsistent is the norm. Last year Norris got a penalty for driving slowly despite not really obstructing anyone. If you want my opinion, then Perez should’ve also received a penalty.
What if Alonso had a sudden PU issue slowing him down¿? Would Russell still blame Alonso for the crash when it is his responsibility to react and maintain control¿?
If he doesn’t get off the racing line, yes. The first thing any driver does when they have a severe PU issue is get off the racing line. Just like Russell should’ve had time to react, in this hypothetical scenario Alonso would’ve also had time to react and get off the racing line. Alonso should’ve received a penalty even if it was a PU issue that caused him to slow down that much.
Fernando isn’t guilty of anything more than the drivers desperately holding on to P10 for the final point every race or sandbagging to help a teammate, and I don’t recall a penalty of this severity getting dumped on any of them.
George reacted too slowly, probably thinking about the move he was going to make instead of the action happening in front of him.
I’m not saying it was fair or George was at fault, but I don’t agree with the penalty applied either.
I think any driver defending in a manner that puts the other driver at risk should be penalized. That’s not a controversial opinion, we literally have rules against such behavior when it’s very obvious (break checking and weaving). In this case he slowed down into a turn where he was guaranteed to get in Russell’s way. Even if Russell had reacted in time he still would’ve been forced to slow down because it would’ve been next to impossible for him to pass Alonso in that turn. And we know what happened when Russell didn’t react in time. It’s erratic driving by Alonso and that deserves a penalty.
I can see this being a controversial penalty considering a part of the blame does fall on Russell for not reacting to Alonso slowing down (checking from the driver cam he seems to have plenty of time to react), but overall I think Alonso does deserve the penalty. I’m not sure what he was trying to accomplish but his deliberate actions cost Russell the race.
He tried to compromise his entry to gain some exit speed, giving him a better chance to defend from Russel
I don’t really believe that. Maybe I’m giving him too much credit but I think he’s too good of a driver to mess it up like that.
In the media pen Alonso himself said nothing about that, just said he was focused ahead of him and vaguely referenced battery deployment issues over the course of the race.
Perez drove an entire lap while going deliberately slow in every corner of sector 3 in Abu Dhabi and didn’t get penalized. Hamilton didn’t bin the car either. Considering that, there is no way this penalty is justified. What if Alonso had a sudden PU issue slowing him down¿? Would Russell still blame Alonso for the crash when it is his responsibility to react and maintain control¿?
going consistently slow in the corners is a lot different than suddenly going very slow in a single corner.
The first time he did it, it was very different so he should have been punished.
The penalty wasn’t about being slow, it was about being erratic. This was effectively the same as weaving, except it was with the brake and throttle instead of the steering wheel.
So if you weave in every straight, is that no longer dangerous ¿?
It absolutely is, can and has been penalized, and is consistent with my point… So what are you trying to say?
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FIA being inconsistent is the norm. Last year Norris got a penalty for driving slowly despite not really obstructing anyone. If you want my opinion, then Perez should’ve also received a penalty.
If he doesn’t get off the racing line, yes. The first thing any driver does when they have a severe PU issue is get off the racing line. Just like Russell should’ve had time to react, in this hypothetical scenario Alonso would’ve also had time to react and get off the racing line. Alonso should’ve received a penalty even if it was a PU issue that caused him to slow down that much.
Fernando isn’t guilty of anything more than the drivers desperately holding on to P10 for the final point every race or sandbagging to help a teammate, and I don’t recall a penalty of this severity getting dumped on any of them.
George reacted too slowly, probably thinking about the move he was going to make instead of the action happening in front of him.
I’m not saying it was fair or George was at fault, but I don’t agree with the penalty applied either.
I think any driver defending in a manner that puts the other driver at risk should be penalized. That’s not a controversial opinion, we literally have rules against such behavior when it’s very obvious (break checking and weaving). In this case he slowed down into a turn where he was guaranteed to get in Russell’s way. Even if Russell had reacted in time he still would’ve been forced to slow down because it would’ve been next to impossible for him to pass Alonso in that turn. And we know what happened when Russell didn’t react in time. It’s erratic driving by Alonso and that deserves a penalty.