Alonso spoke to FIA president about alleged discrimination against Spaniards
F1 News
Fernando Alonso has not been a happy man in recent weeks, following his hefty penalty in China's sprint race. In Miami, the Aston Martin driver even seemed to hint that the FIA and the stewards were penalising him and his compatriots earlier because they were from Spain. About that, Alonso wanted an explanation from Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA president. That conversation came last weekend in the US city, before the Grand Prix won by Lando Norris.
During the sprint race for the Chinese Grand Prix, Alonso and Carlos Sainz collided during a fierce battle. The Aston Martin driver suffered a puncture in the process, which dropped him far down the rankings. On top of that, the stewards gave him a hefty time penalty and three penalty points on his licence, bringing his total penalty points to six. A Right to Review, put forward by Aston Martin, was rejected last Saturday.
After the sprint race in Miami, Alonso complained in front of the cameras about Lewis Hamilton's driving behaviour, but the latter did not receive a penalty for it. Alonso was already expecting that "because he is not a Spaniard". Later in the day, to international media, the 42-year-old clarified what he meant by that. " I think nationality matters," Alonso said at the time.
Ben Sulayem and Alonso around the table
Meanwhile, his anger seems to have subsided somewhat. Talking to Ben Sulayem, the Spaniard was positive: "Yeah, useful with him yesterday. He's always on board with every opinion that the drivers have. He knows that we are the ones driving the cars and that we can have some suggestions on things. There are a couple of points that we need to address as a sport. He always listens to us. Between all, if we make F1 a better sport and a little bit more consistent," Alonso said.