Fernando Alonso hit with costly penalty after George Russell crash

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Fernando Alonso was given a penalty of 20 seconds for brake testing George Russell, which led to his crash during the Australian Grand Prix.

Alonso's ranking in the final race standings drops from sixth to eighth due to the penalty.

Russell, who was driving a Mercedes, was chasing after Alonso, who was driving an Aston Martin, on the second-to-last lap of the 58-lap race.

Out of nowhere, Russell accelerated towards Alonso approaching turn six while the Spaniard applied the brakes earlier than expected. Subsequently, Russell couldn't manage to keep his car under control, leading to a spin and crashing into the barrier with his Mercedes flipping on its side.

After the race had ended, Alonso arrived back home in sixth position, but only after a long period of time. The race officials had a discussion with both drivers and carefully analyzed the telemetry data before making their decision. Ultimately, Alonso received a penalty because his driving was deemed to be potentially dangerous.

The FIA delivered a lengthy ruling stating that Alonso has the right to attempt a diverse approach to the corner. However, they also mentioned that he shouldn't be held accountable for the dirty air that led to the incident in the end.

But, did he opt to perform an exceptional action, regardless of his intention, such as lifting, hitting the brakes, shifting gears, and incorporating all other aspects of the maneuver over a distance of 100 meters before and with more force than what was required to decelerate before the turn? Absolutely.

According to his recount of the situation and as stated by the stewards, his actions were considered to be driving in a way that could have been dangerous, especially considering the fast pace of that particular area of the course.

This year, the FIA Formula 1 guidelines for penalties have been changed. The starting point for penalties is now 10 seconds. If something particularly bad happens, like in this situation, the driver may receive a "drive through" penalty. Alonso intentionally did something strange during the race, which makes his actions worse than just making a mistake.

Therefore, the officials have requested a penalty for Car 14 (Alonso), in the form of a drive through. However, this will be changed to an additional 20 seconds being added to his recorded time, along with receiving three penalty points.

Alonso and his team at Aston Martin have the option to challenge the ruling by means of an appeal.