Alonso received a drive-through penalty, resulting in a 20-second time penalty after the race. This caused him to drop to eighth place. Despite his explanations to the stewards, they were not convinced that he was innocent in his battle with the Mercedes driver.
The Spaniard also attributed his difficulties to issues with his hybrid system, which he mentioned to the press after the race. He expressed concern about maintaining his position due to the battery problems he was facing in the last 15 laps. The battery was experiencing derating and inconsistency.
After the penalty, Alonso commented in the Aston Martin race report, mentioning that they were lucky with the timing of the Virtual Safety Car when Lewis Hamilton retired. He also expressed satisfaction at being behind Checo Perez, as he could use the DRS to gain an advantage. However, he lost time when Charles Leclerc came out of the pits. The gained seconds proved crucial in the end.
Regarding the incident with George Russell, Alonso acknowledged that the British driver caught up to him quickly in the final laps. He knew Russell was within DRS range for several laps, so he focused on setting fast laps to stay ahead. Alonso defended his actions, stating that he wanted to maximize his exit speed from Turn Six. He believed it was a fair race and was disappointed to receive a penalty.
Alonso also expressed relief that Russell was not injured after his car stopped in the middle of the track. In terms of Aston Martin’s overall performance, he acknowledged that it was not the best weekend in terms of pace. However, he praised the team’s execution in the race, including their strategy, pit stops, and reliability. Alonso believed they scored more points than their pace deserved.
The director of the Aston Martin team, Mike Krack, commented on Alonso’s penalty, stating that it was surprising to see him drop to eighth place, but accepting the decision.
(Additional reporting by Agnes Carlier from Melbourne)
