During the closing laps of the Melbourne race, Alonso found himself in a tight battle with Russell for sixth place.
Alonso, aware of the vulnerability in Albert Park’s DRS zones, opted to brake earlier for Turn 6 on the penultimate lap, aiming to carry more speed onto the following straight.
Russell, caught off guard by Alonso’s move, ended up crashing into the dirty air of Alonso’s Aston Martin. Subsequently, stewards launched an investigation into any erratic driving by the two-time F1 world champion.
After reviewing the telemetry data and hearing Alonso’s explanation, the stewards penalized him with a drive-through penalty for “potentially dangerous” driving, later converted into a 20-second post-race penalty.
This penalty pushed Alonso from sixth to eighth in the final standings, elevating his teammate Lance Stroll to sixth and RB’s Yuki Tsunoda to seventh. Despite the decision, Alonso expressed disappointment, believing his actions were within the bounds of fair racing.
“George was rapidly catching up, so I had to defend my position,” Alonso explained. “I focused on maximizing my exit speed from Turn 6 to keep him behind. I didn’t consider it dangerous, just hard but fair racing.”
Later, on social media, Alonso reiterated his stance, expressing surprise at the penalty and defending his racing approach. “I’m a bit surprised by the penalty,” Alonso wrote. “Maintaining good exits from corners is part of racing, and I didn’t intend any wrongdoing. It’s disappointing, but safety is always paramount.”
Team principal Mike Krack echoed Alonso’s sentiments, stating their acceptance of the stewards’ decision but emphasizing the positive outcome of scoring 12 championship points.
“We respect the stewards’ decision,” Krack commented. “Although it’s unexpected, it doesn’t detract from our as a whole performance today. Both drivers showcased a strong display, converting our grid positions into valuable points.” Alonso’s teammate Lance Stroll benefited from the penalty, securing sixth place in the final standings.
