Fernando Alonso jokes about F1 ban as George Russell weighs in on DRS ‘games’

Fernando Alonso has playfully joked that he could get “disqualified for the rest of the championship” for his defensive tactics at end of the F1 Japanese Grand Prix.

The Aston Martin claimed a strong sixth place in Japan but had to fight to keep McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Mercedes’ George Russell behind him in the closing stages of Sunday’s race.

Similar to the tactics used by Carlos Sainz in Singapore last year, Alonso ensured Piastri stayed within DRS range to protect himself from a charging Russell.

While Russell was able to get past Piastri, he ultimately ran out of laps to challenge Alonso and had to settle with seventh.

It came a fortnight after Alonso received a 20-second penalty for “potentially dangerous driving” in his bid to keep Russell behind him in Australia.

And the two-time world champion couldn’t help himself from cheekily poking some fun at the FIA.

"I don't know what to say anymore after Australia, let's see if I get disqualified for the rest of the championship,” Alonso told Spanish television channel DAZN.

“It's clear that having Piastri behind, it was a way to defend myself from Russell, so I was probably taking a bit of battery off on the last straight to get Piastri within a second.

“Carlos did it like that in Singapore last year too, and it's a normal racing thing.”

Asked if he was aware of the DRS tricks being played by Alonso, Russell laughed and told Sky Sports F1: “Of course.

“Fernando playing games? That’s new!  It was smart from Fernando and I expected nothing less, that’s part of racing.”

Alonso felt he produced one of his best ever performances over the Suzuka weekend.

“I think it was one of my best races or my best weekends,” Alonso told Sky Sports F1. “I think it was very complete and very strong, very solid.

“Since free practice, to the race, maybe the best of the last year or maybe even top five of my career. But this is going to be completely anonymous.”