07/07/2022
NEWS STORY
With the best seat in the house, Fernando Alonso seeks clarity on rules following last weekend's thrilling dogfight, feeling the combatants literally went over the edge.
As Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton passed and repassed one another, just the slightest mistake would have been to the benefit of Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris who were in hot pursuit of the battling trio.
Indeed, mistakes there were, with drivers leaving the track and weaving, seemingly without sanction, and Alonso isn't happy.
"I think we will bring up the point tomorrow in the briefing," the Spaniard told the media as the Austrian Grand Prix weekend got underway.
"Honestly," he continued, "I watched the race on Monday and more than the movements on the straight, I saw the action between Charles, Checo and Lewis which obviously was fantastic to watch on TV and for me to witness behind the cars.
"But at the beginning of the year, leaving the track was not allowed," he added. "It was very clear black and white, yet now, leaving the track and keep flat out on the run-off area and keep fighting on the following corner, is allowed.
"That's a completely different direction with what we have seen so far. So it will be very, very interesting to clear this up."
Indeed, so convinced that at least Leclerc would be penalised for weaving on the straight as he sought to keep his rivals at bay, Alonso was expecting a penalty for the Ferrari driver. The failure of the stewards to even question the Monegasque leaving the two-time world champion "confused".
"We have to talk," he said. "Obviously, when you are side-by-side and you push someone out of the track, there are different scenarios and different manoeuvres, and different corners. So it is always more difficult to judge.
"But we have been told that the one thing that was very clear to police was the white line, and it was not in Silverstone.
"I mean, I leave the track in Miami on one corner and I gain an advantage for them, and they have to imagine that I gain an advantage because I give back all the advantage.
"Now it was a clear gaining of advantage," he insisted, "because you can fight on the next corner on the inside or outside. So it's clear. And it was no penalty. So I'm very confused.
"They have a difficult job," he said of the stewards. "We need to all try to help them, so I'm not saying that it was right or wrong. What I'm saying is that we need to have a better idea and we are here to help them.
"They are here to help us and to police the race. So we just need to make sure that we are all on the same page."
Check out our Thursday gallery from Spielberg here.