Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton embrace.
Dutch racer Tom Coronel can understand where Fernando Alonso is coming from by claiming nationality influences the decisions of FIA stewards, with a “too risky” move from Lewis Hamilton in Miami going unpunished.
It was quite the chaotic start to the Miami Sprint race, as Hamilton launched a lunge down the inside into Turn 1 which forced Lando Norris and Lance Stroll into retirement, while Alonso dropped to the back of the pack. How the stewards looked upon that incident did not go down well with Alonso at all.
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Alonso has felt the wrath of the stewards in a major way during recent rounds, picking up time penalties and super licence points after incidents in Australia and China, though when the stewards decided that Hamilton’s actions were not worthy of a penalty, the Spaniard said “nationality matters” and went on to hold talks with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Coronel did not express approval for Hamilton’s actions during his appearance on the RacingNews365 podcast.
Coronel commented, “It was an exceptionally odd one, particularly considering they are a World Champion.”
Knowing that there was no grip and realizing the car wouldn’t make the turn, I overshot it. I considered it to be an extremely risky situation.
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Coronel agreed with Alonso’s statement about his nationality, describing it as a noteworthy quote. He expressed his concern about the inconsistency in the stewards’ decision-making process and suggested that Hamilton’s status as a seven-time World Champion might have influenced the leniency shown towards him.
Coronel expressed his disagreement with the FIA’s perspective, stating, “I find it unfair because they should either allow a more relaxed approach or apply the same punishment to both parties. Alonso’s point of view is correct.”
“If Logan Sargeant had done this, would he have received a penalty?”
Coronel stated that since Ruud Dimmers is a seven-time World Champion, he would not receive a penalty, to which Dimmers replied “absolutely”.
Therefore, residing in America exempts you from being a World Champion or a Spaniard, thus avoiding penalties. However, this approach is flawed, and I believe the FIA lacks consistency in their enforcement of penalties.
Alonso currently holds six penalty points on his super licence, and if he accumulates 12 points within a span of 12 months, he will face a one-race suspension.
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