Lewis Hamilton collides with Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, and Fernando Alonso in Turn 1.
Fernando Alonso has doubled down on his claim that “nationality” plays a role in the stewards’ decisions with the Spaniard heavily penalised of late while Lewis Hamilton escaped punishment in Miami.
During the Sprint in Miami, Alonso and Hamilton collided at the first corner, resulting in Lando Norris and Lance Stroll being forced out of the race.
Fernando Alonso: I do feel that nationality matters
Racing for position at the start, Norris was on the outside next to the Aston Martin team-mates, which was already a three-into-one scenario. Hamilton made it four.
Alonso was struck by the Mercedes driver, who swiftly approached from the inside at Turn 1.
As soon as he saw an opportunity, he promptly informed Mercedes that he had identified a “gap” and seized it. However, commentators were swift to highlight that he relied on the Aston Martin as his reference for braking.
However, the stewards decided against penalizing Hamilton, as they believed that while the British driver had played a part in the collision, he was not solely responsible for it.
Based on the video evidence, it seemed that there were a minimum of three collisions that took place. The initial collision involved cars 14 (Alonso) and 18 (Stroll), followed by another collision involving car 44 (Hamilton) and car 14, and finally a collision between car 18 and car 4 (Norris).
Although it seemed like the incidents started with cars 14 and 18, the sudden and rapid arrival of car 44 also played a role in the multiple collisions. However, we were unable to determine any specific drivers who were primarily responsible for the collisions or any individual collision among them.
Additionally, considering that this incident occurred during the first lap when drivers are typically granted more leniency, we decided not to take any additional measures.
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Alonso, speaking prior to the stewards’ ruling, told DAZN: “Let’s see what they [the stewards] decide, I guess they won’t decide anything because he’s not Spanish.”
Later, the Spaniard reiterated his assertion that the stewards’ decisions were influenced by “nationality.”
He expressed his belief that nationality does indeed hold significance.
“I will speak with Mohammed, the FIA president, or anyone from the FIA.”
“I must ensure that there are no issues pertaining to my nationality or any factors that could potentially impact any decision-making process, not just for myself but also for the future generation of Spanish drivers who require safeguarding.”
He asserts that Hamilton bears complete responsibility, explaining: “I had to unlock the car as Hamilton was approaching without any control over his vehicle. If I neglected to do so, I would undoubtedly face a penalty.”
Scott Mitchell-Malm from The Race reports that Alonso wasted no time in speaking to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, swiftly following through with his intention. On Saturday, he was spotted leaving the FIA hospitality area alongside team boss Mike Krack.
Hamilton also receives blame from Norris, who was forced out of the race due to the collision.
“According to Norris, Lewis made a dive on the inside and was the cause of the incident. There was nothing I could have done to avoid it,” Norris stated to the official F1 channel.
“It appears that my rim has completely disappeared. Initially, I believed it was merely suspension damage, but there is no purpose in retrieving the car for a race where there are minimal points to be gained and the risk of causing additional harm. Therefore, it is best to withdraw from the race.”
Read next: ‘He’s not Spanish’ – Fernando Alonso takes latest FIA swipe after Lewis Hamilton collision in Miami
