The infamous version of Fernando Alonso has returned during the Hungarian GP weekend. The 2-time champion was known for his short temper during his first F1 stint before retirement. But when he returned to the pinnacle of motorsport in 2021 with Alpine, he was nothing like before. Then-Alpine boss Alan Permane revealed how Alonso had refreshingly changed for good, and didn’t have any “tantrums or hissy fits.” But his changed reputation has been destroyed in one day after a video of him disrespecting an FIA employee post-qualifying has surfaced.

Aston Martin brought a comprehensive upgrade package for the Hungarian GP. This helped their drivers get into Q1, locking out the fourth row for race day. However, Alonso’s last flying lap was interrupted in the final corner, as the FIA red-flagged the session after Yuki Tsunoda’s crash. Alonso was very unhappy with this premature waving of red flags.

“The FIA sometimes gets it right and sometimes makes gross errors,” he told DAZN, as quoted by PlanetF1. “Today they made one because they red-flagged when I was in the last corner, which is surprising. When there is an accident at Turn 8 [Turn 5] they normally wait for the cars to complete their laps, or that’s the spoken rule,” he explained.

When he made it back to the pit lane, his AMR24 was put into parc ferme with only 2 minutes left in qualifying. So, he jumped out of his car. But soon after, the FIA decided to restart the session, enabling drivers to put one final flying lap. Because the 2-time champion didn’t have fresher tires left, he chose not to contest again. “But this going into the parc ferme, then opening it again and that doesn’t normally happen,” he said.

Frustrated with all this, the Spaniard got into a short, heated exchange with an FIA employee in the pit lane. He threw his Aston Martin racing suit and his cap on the floor in a fit of rage. The FIA employee was forced to pick Alonso’s clothes up. This act of disrespect has made fans express their anger on social media.

Fernando Alonso’s “rude and unacceptable” behavior towards FIA employee angers F1 fans

Fernando Alonso was quite upset during this post-red flag interaction. Passerby George Russell witnessed this interaction as he was returning to the Mercedes garage. The Briton couldn’t ignore his fellow driver’s actions and he went up to Alonso to understand the situation. After listening to a short explanation from a very animated Alonso, Russell headed back to his garage. Within a few seconds, the same FIA employee handed something to the AMR driver, and the argument ended.

After this video made it to the social media platform X, it was Alonso’s chance to get an earful. The Spaniard’s blatant act of rudeness lowered him in the eyes of fans. Being angry is one thing, but disregarding others during the course of a professional interaction is something else.

In 2023, when speaking about himself and Max Verstappen, Alonso wondered why they are both seen as “aggressive, rude and politically incorrect drivers.”  This Hungarian GP incident has answered his own question and marked the return of his villainous image. At least, that is what one X user believed.

Misdirecting his anger onto an innocent pit lane employee wasn’t his best choice. This heated interaction didn’t seem to be just a reaction to the current happening, but from an emotional build-up from Aston Martin’s yearlong slump. “Alonslow” was the undesirable nickname he landed, coupling the incident with the AMR24’s pace.

In 2022, Alonso had his last big confrontation with an FIA decision. At the Miami GP, he finished P9 after being out of the points in the three previous races. But a 5-second penalty given post-race meant he finished P11, out of the points yet again. He labeled the stewards’ action ‘incompetent’ and accused them of not being “very professional”. This ‘unprofessional’ label came full circle to haunt him.

While most fans were surprised to witness this incident, one simply didn’t care. In their eyes, Alonso’s angry past self was stuck to him like a post-it on an unsuspecting person’s back.

Unsurprisingly, this incident could now overshadow Aston Martin’s upgrade package and a good result, if the drivers improve their positions. Such behavior can also land Fernando Alonso in trouble with the FIA. Hopefully, the adrenaline won’t get the better of him next time.