Why Alonso was left frustrated by F1’s “random” rules

The Alpine driver was angered by three track limits related incidents during Sunday’s race at the Circuit of the Americas which involved Alfa Romeo duo Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi. 

Alonso felt Raikkonen had got away with an “illegal” pass on him at Turn 1 early in the race after the pair made contact on the exit of the corner, with Raikkonen forced to run completely off track before holding onto the position. 

The stewards noted the incident but decided it did not need further investigation. 

The two-time world champion later ran four wheels off the track to pass Giovinazzi before handing the place back when instructed to by his team. Giovinazzi was also told to do the same in an almost identical incident later. 

Alonso vented over team radio and after the race claimed “the rules are a little bit random”, adding the fans at the circuit “saw a show they didn’t deserve.”

Speaking in a later media call, the Spaniard - who ultimately retired with rear wing damage - explained why he was baffled.  

“Obviously it is their decision, so we have to accept it,” Alonso said. 

“I don’t know if you saw the whole race, but it was the same incident in lap one, Lando [Norris] in Turn 12, on the inside, overtook [Carlos] Sainz – Sainz went off track, retook the position and it was fine (he later had to give the place back). 

“And then on the last part of the race when I overtook Giovinazzi for the second time, I brake on the inside in Turn 12. Again, I ‘forced’ him off track. He regained the position off track and that time he has to give me back the position.

“So, in a way, you always force a guy to go off track when you brake on the inside. You commit to an overtake. And they are on the outside - they need to decide if they are backing off or keeping full throttle off the track, outside the circuit.

“It’s what Sainz did, Giovinazzi did, I did. We have to give back the position because you are running full throttle off track. But Kimi didn’t. So that’s why I thought that it was not consistent.

“I lost like 10 seconds by doing all these things, and obviously the point possibilities were gone. But I mean I'm not too mad about this because it is only a one point place. And then we have the failure of the rear wing anyway, so it didn't change our race, arguably. So this is not a problem.”

It marked the latest occasion Alonso has complained about the consistency of F1’s stewarding this year. He hit out at F1 for having “different rules for different drivers” after his trip across the run-off on the opening lap of the Russian Grand Prix received intense scrutiny. 

FIA race director Michael Masi confirmed a discussion will be held at the next drivers’ meeting about the “marginal” call surrounding Raikkonen’s overtake.

“I can understand his [Alonso's] frustration,” Masi said. “I’ve not heard his frustration, but I can understand it.

“The call with regards to him and Kimi at Turn 1 was certainly marginal. And something we’ll have a discussion with the next drivers meeting with all the drivers about it.

“I think there were two parts to the story, obviously the overtake and looking at the forcing off track. And then the subsequent element of the overtake.

“It’s something we’ll discuss as a group at the next meeting.”