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What a mess at the Saudi Arabian GP: minutes after the finish, the World Federation declared British Mercedes driver George Russell the new third. For Alonso, who actually saw the black and white checkered flag in third place.
Why did the Spaniard lose his 100th podium? Well, it started right at the start, when Alonso’s Aston Martin parked inches short of the white mark. Without benefits. But the two-time world champion from 2005 and 2006 still received a five-second penalty.
A jack causes confusion
Alonso then did not sit according to the rules when changing the tires because the jack was always on the car. A subtlety that earned him an outrageous time penalty of ten seconds after crossing the finish line. Incidentally, Alonso’s green car was ahead of poleman Pérez in the first corner.
Crazy turn
Hours later, the FIA’s rulers rowed back: Alonso is now third again. Reason: The teams never agreed on the jack rule. Touching the jack is not considered work on the car. With Aston Martin being able to prove this, Alonso got his 100th podium back. Someone should understand that…
The two fighters went full throttle
Other questions arose at Red Bull: When will teammate Verstappen appear on the grid from 15th place behind Pérez? Answer: Half way through 50 laps. Insanity.
Now of course came the second question: stable order or not? Fortunately, she did not come, but the two fighters, who have not been on good terms since 2022, went full throttle despite other orders.
Because one thing was clear: if this order were to be maintained, the extra point would decide the lead in the championship. The duo continued to chase the fastest race lap in succession – until Verstappen waited for the last lap and was again 0.2 seconds faster. And now, leading the world championship in 44:43, he will fly to Melbourne for the next race on April 2.
Alonso raged after stealing the podium
But back to Alonso. The Spaniard raged after the podium theft: “What’s the point. The FIA pulled its own show with a decision that came too late. I held the trophy in my hands and now I’m down three points. But the competition knows that Aston Martin is all in. And the FIA should announce such penalties to the team during the race, then you can still react on track in a timely manner.” Is he in a milder mood now that he’s third?
Debacle for Ferrari
At Ferrari, boss Frédéric Vasseur remains under pressure. After 4th place and the retirement of Leclerc in Bahrain, there were now places 6 and 7. The bitter truth for the Italians: Ferrari is currently only the fourth force in the field.
Alfa-Sauber doesn’t stand a chance
The Red Sea in the embattled kingdom of Saudi Arabia was barely worth a trip for Alfa-Sauber even on the third attempt. In the end, only the great disappointment remained. Even if there was a 9th place finish for Antonio Giovinazzi at the GP premiere in Jeddah in 2021…
Yesterday the World Cup points were always out of reach. It doesn’t matter what tire strategy came from the command post this time. Hinwil’s cars were simply too slow. Without apologies.
Bottas is the last
The Chinese Guanyu Zhou (24) was 13th and the Finn Valtteri Bottas (33) had to settle for 18th and last place. The only one with a lap behind. Two cars were retired – Stroll and Albon.
Shortly before the end, a strange radio message from Bottas flashed through the world: “Do you see the damage to the car?” Well, he raced over wreckage in the beginning and destroyed the underside.
It was not nice to see Hinwil’s team fade into oblivion after the successful four-point start in Bahrain. With the Mercedes customers McLaren and Williams.
Alpine gave a good sign of life for the first time – and Magnussen even got the first championship point for Haas-Ferrari.
So the battle in midfield has begun. However, with a clear favourite: Alpine! Ocon and Gasly are currently too fast for the opponents behind.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
