The FIA is investigating whether Fernando Alonso brought Formula 1 into disrepute with his blunt criticism of the sport's officials. A few days ago, the two-time champion said at a personal sponsor's event that the "most worrying thing" about the new era of F1 was "the race management and the stewards."
The FIA is investigating whether Fernando Alonso brought Formula 1 into disrepute with his blunt criticism of the sport's officials. A few days ago, the two-time champion said at a personal sponsor's event that the "most worrying thing" about F1's new era was "the race management and the stewards."
In fact, F1 fired Michael Masi late last year and replaced the controversial race director with two newcomers - Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas. "With all the changes that have happened, they haven't adapted very well and it's a concern for all the drivers now," Alonso said earlier this week.
He then stepped up the rhetoric at the official FIA press conference on Friday before his home Spanish GP, aiming particular fire at Wittich and the Miami commissioners for a "very unfair" penalty.
"It was just incompetence on the part of the commissioners," the 40-year-old driver fired back. "They were not very professional, I think."
"After the race we arrived with all the evidence and they were packing up," Alonso added. "They didn't know how to come back from that document. Honestly, it's something that shouldn't happen in Formula One, with the professionalism and the standards that Formula One has now."
After making the comments, Alonso was seen talking with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Wittich's co-race director Eduardo Freitas in Alpine's motorhome. Reports suggest that Alonso's derogatory comments were forwarded to the commissioners.
Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer defended his driver. When asked about the transcript of the press conference, he said, "I read it. In Miami he was punished twice. Then Norris and Gasly collided and there was no penalty. I think it's fair to say that the FIA was inconcise."
"Mick Schumacher took out Vettel and there was no penalty, even though they were fighting for points. So why did Fernando get a punishment? I think it is justified that Fernando is angry with the FIA's decisions," he concluded.