Fernando Alonso’s Painful “1 Meter” Penalty Slammed by Max Verstappen as Another “Crazy” FIA Decision Comes Under Scrutiny

Max Verstappen is an extremely ruthless racer, but even the Dutchman sympathizes with his competitors. This is exactly how Verstappen felt when he was made aware of Fernando Alonso’s penalty drama post-race. The Dutchman not only sympathized with the Spaniard but also revealed the probable reason behind this recurring mistake. A mistake that plagued Esteban Ocon in the season opener and almost snatched the milestone podium away from Alonso.

Alonso finished the race in third but was quickly informed he has incurred a 10-second penalty. The Spaniard was about to lose his milestone podium by 1 meter. However, the stewards overturned the penalty after Aston Martin’s protests. The penalty was rescinded, but the fans were quick to express their rage on Twitter. Verstappen, while speaking in the FIA presser as quoted by F1 Maximaal, also chimed in the discussion and sympathized with Alonso.

“I didn’t see how far Fernando was outside the starting box,” says Verstappen. “It’s painful when you get penalized for that, but it’s almost the same as with the track limits. It seems really crazy when people think they can gain an advantage by being more to the left or right at the start. I don’t know how we can do that better.” (Translated by Google)

Verstappen then revealed these mistakes aren’t deliberate, and it’s all down to visibility. “Visibility is very poor when you’re in the car and that’s probably why you’re not always correctly positioned in the starting area,” he added.

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Verstappen’s comments showcase how the new tires are the reason behind these penalties. In fact, his teammate Sergio Perez also agreed with him.

Sergio Perez seconded Max Verstappen in the grid starting position penalty problem

The Mexican started the race in Jeddah in pole position and went on to win the race. However, it wasn’t a straightforward race for Perez. The Mexican had to regain his P1 spot from Alonso after a slow start. Although the low visibility of the car’s position could’ve hampered Perez’s start of the race.

“It’s really hard to see where you stopped. I think, in my opinion, I overdid it and stopped too early, but you have no idea where you are when you’re in the car. You don’t know if you are too far back or if you have gone too far forward,” said the Mexican.

The Mexican early stop could have been the reason why he lost his position at the start of the race.

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Even still, the new tires are making it difficult for the drivers to see the lines. Could we see a change in rules if this becomes a common occurrence?