The extra complications behind F1’s Alonso ‘brake-test’ penalty debate

There was a touch of inevitability. Red Bull’s significant Suzuka upgrade has not slimmed the RB20 as predicted, with rumours Ferrari was rushing its important Imola updates scotched too on what was overall something of a slow news day on Thursday.

Then there’s the drivers involved. Alonso and Russell are rather divisive figures amongst F1’s fanbase. But there was nevertheless a surprise split in the opinions of those who really matter in this contentious debate: the drivers.

Haas racer Nico Hulkenberg “wasn’t very impressed with Fernando’s tactics”, while Sauber drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu both called the decision to penalise the Spaniard “harsh”. Max Verstappen – no stranger to racing battle sagas – opted to keep his powder dry in the Suzuka pre-event press conference, saying only “we’ll discuss it in the driver’s briefing…”.

Alonso’s position was inevitably bombastic.

“It was a little bit surprising the penalty in Melbourne, but nothing we can do,” he said. “We have to accept it and move on and concentrate on here. But it will not change much on how we drive and how we approach racing.

“There is no obligation to drive 57 laps in the same way. Sometimes we get a slower pace, to save fuel, to save tyres, to save battery. Sometimes we get slow into corners or into some sectors of the track to give the DRS to the car behind because that will be a useful tool if the second car behind is at a faster pace.

“All those things are completely normal. And it was, it is, and it will be forever in motorsports.

“So, we had one penalty, probably a one-off, that we will never apply ever again. But it was for us. We take it. We accept it. We lost two points or whatever it was for the team.”

Russell was equally erudite.

“It was obviously a strange situation that happened last week,” he said, alongside Verstappen in the press conference.

“As I said at the time, [I was] totally caught by surprise. I was actually looking at the steering wheel making a switch change on the straight, which we all do across the lap, and when I looked up, I was in Fernando’s gearbox and it was too late and then next thing I know I was in the wall.

“So, I think if it were not to have been penalised, it would’ve really opened up a can of worms for the rest of the season and in junior categories, saying, ‘are you…