Fernando Alonso predicted Lewis Hamilton will not be penalised for the collision at the start of the Miami Grand Prix “because he’s not Spanish”.
The Aston Martin driver was one of four involved in a clash on the first lap of today’s sprint race in Miami. The incident began when Hamilton touched Alonso’s car, sending him into team mate Lance Stroll who then touched Lando Norris.
The McLaren driver retired while the Aston Martin pair dropped to the back of the grid. The stewards announced during the race they would not take any action over the circumstances which led to Norris’ retirement.
“Well, we’ll see what they decide,” Alonso told DAZN after the race. “I guess they’re not going to give anything because he’s not Spanish.
“But I think he ruined the races of a few people, Norris especially, which had a very fast car and he was [taken] out in that incident.”
Alonso picked up six penalty points in the three races prior to the Miami Grand Prix. His Aston Martin team requested a review of the most recent of those incidents. The stewards are yet to announce their decision.
Hamilton went on to finish eighth in the sprint race before being relegated to 16th due to a penalty for speeding in the pit lane during the Safety Car period which was triggered by Norris’ retirement.
Alonso circulated at the rear of the field and pitted before the end of the race. “For us, we had no interest in the sprint race,” he said. “We checked the degradation for tomorrow and we managed it. For us it’s like a first practice, it isn’t really a race.”
“Now the important part of the race begins, the qualifying and tomorrow the 57 laps. I think we can draw some conclusions from this sprint for the parc ferme that opens now and let’s see if we can improve the car a little bit.”
Update: Stewards explained why Hamilton avoided penalty
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2024 Miami Grand Prix
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