As Fernando Alonso Accuses F1 of Age Old Demons, Max Verstappen Questions FIA Amid Lewis Hamilton’s Penalty Saga

Max Verstappen recently shared how he admires Fernando Alonso and that he is a good role model. Just days after the praise, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso joined teams to question the FIA regarding the recent change made amid the Lewis Hamilton penalty saga. Albeit, both did it in a different way. While Alonso brought up the age-old demon, Max Verstappen took a trip down memory lane. What did the two champions say?

The FIA recently made a decision as Lewis Hamilton’s Qatar GP penalty saga folded. The Briton was fined $52000 for crossing a live track after his crash. After revisiting the penalty and making the role model statement, FIA issued a change to the fines that can be imposed on a driver. It quadrupled the maximum fine that can be imposed from $264,000 to just over $1,000,000. 

This change didn’t bode well with most of the drivers, including Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen. Let’s have a look at what they had to say. 

Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen’s retaliation against the fine changes made by the FIA

Fernando Alonso was shocked by the FIA’s decision to quadruple the maximum fine. The Spaniard explained how it was the first time that he heard about this news, as he spoke to a reporter at the Thursday Press Conference at the US GP. Alonso’s first opinion was that the changes were not appropriate as he elaborated on an age-old demon. 

As reported by the BBC, Fernando Alonso said, “It is the first news I had coming from you, so I need to understand better. But we are in a sport that is already considered very elite, very closed. We are raising some topics about sustainability, environment. We are all trying to do our sport to make this sport more accessible for everyone. So when you put these big numbers or something like that, it seems not right.”

Read More: As Clampdown Takes Ugly Turn, Lewis Hamilton Reveals “Only Way” FIA Can Get That Million From Him

Max Verstappen, on the other hand, didn’t seem delighted with the decision either. He recalled what happened to him at the 2021 Brazilian GP when he touched the rear wing of a Mercedes. Max Verstappen said, “If touching a rear wing is $50k, I would like to know what a million is.”

FIA for sure is going to have to explain the changes made by them as most of the drivers are not happy with the changes. Nonetheless, no more answering will be required from the FIA’s side as Lewis Hamilton justified the role model statement made by the FIA. Coming back to role models, let’s see what exactly Max Verstappen said about Fernando Alonso being a role model.

“He’s a good role model”: Max Verstappen hails Fernando Alonso amid Hamilton’s role model fiasco 

FIA, while revisiting Lewis Hamilton’s Qatar penalty, advised how the Briton is a role model. FIA received backlash as people couldn’t understand what being a role model has to do with the revisiting of the penalty. Amid all this, Max Verstappen came forward and praised Fernando Alonso for being nice to him and called him a role model.

As per Gazzetta.it, Max Verstappen said, “We love racing deeply. Proof of this is that Fernando is still so competitive at 42. I admire him. And then, as a person, he is super nice to me. He doesn’t boast about his titles, he doesn’t put himself above others, he remains himself all the time. We can talk about everything in a natural and relaxed way, without complications. He’s a good role model.”

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