The Aston Martin driver was handed a drive-through penalty in Melbourne, transformed to a 20-second time addition, for the way in which through which he aggressively defended in opposition to George Russell on the ultimate lap round Albert Park.
His early deceleration, aimed toward making certain he received a clear exit from Flip 6, caught Russell without warning and the Mercedes driver misplaced grip in soiled air earlier than crashing into the obstacles and ending up in the course of the circuit.
Alonso says he stays stunned that the stewards acted in opposition to him, however is obvious that he thinks the way in which issues performed out was a one-off that won’t power him to behave in a different way sooner or later.
Requested by Motorsport.com in Japan if he was clear concerning the guidelines of defensive driving within the wake of being punished, Alonso stated: “It was clear. And I feel it is nonetheless clear.
“It was slightly bit shocking, the penalty in Melbourne.
“There may be nothing we are able to do, now we have to simply accept it and transfer on and focus on right here. However I feel it is not going to change a lot on how we drive and the way we method racing.
“There is no such thing as a obligation to drive 57 laps in the identical method. Generally we get a slower tempo, to avoid wasting gasoline, to avoid wasting tyres, to avoid wasting battery.
“And generally we go gradual into corners, or into some sectors of the observe, to offer the DRS to the automobile behind as a result of that shall be a useful gizmo if the second automobile behind is at a sooner tempo.
“All these issues are fully regular. And it was, it’s and it is going to be endlessly in motorsports. So we had one penalty, most likely a one-off, that we are going to by no means apply ever once more.”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24, leads George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15
Picture by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Pictures
Whereas the race stewards declared of their verdict that the end result of the incident with Russell didn’t affect their choice, Alonso is just not positive.
Requested if he thought the matter would have been ignored if Russell had not crashed, Alonso stated: “100%.
“If he was in Abu Dhabi with a run off space of asphalt or no matter, I feel George will rejoin the observe just a few metres after that and can attempt to have a go on me on the next lap, or the next straight. And it’ll not be any drawback.”
Alonso says a a lot larger challenge within the incident was the way in which {that a} comparatively small second for Russell changed into a large accident due to the way in which the crash obstacles at Flip 6 speared the Mercedes again onto the observe.
“I feel that the large factor is Flip 6 in Australia,” added Alonso. “It isn’t the most secure nook in the intervening time on that observe.
“We noticed an accident final yr with Alex [Albon] within the race, and this yr in free follow the place he broken the chassis.
“Additionally in F2, I feel Dennis [Hauger] crashed there as properly. George clearly within the race.
“And that is most likely for me a extra vital level to alter for subsequent yr than what the driving force in entrance of me will be capable of do or not do, so long as I needn’t make an avoiding motion or no matter to keep away from him, which was not the case.
“That was my level after Australia, and nonetheless now. I’ll transfer on. I do not wish to converse an excessive amount of on that.”
However regardless of wanting to attract a line underneath the matter, Alonso stated that getting punished within the first place, quite than the extent of penalty, was the largest factor for him.
“It was the toughest penalty of the season when it comes to time lap, which is unusual, however the truth it received penalised [was the main issue],” he added.
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