Twist in podium farce as F1 overturns ruling

Motorsport's governing body, the FIA, has backflipped connected its determination to penalise Fernando Alonso aft helium was stripped of a podium decorativeness successful the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The two-time F1 champion was fixed a five-second punishment soon aft the commencement of the contention for being retired of presumption connected the grid.

After losing the pb of the contention to Red Bull's Sergio Perez, the information car was deployed erstwhile Alonso's teammate Lance Stroll was forced to halt connected way with an issue.

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As the information car came out, Alonso served his five-second punishment successful the pit lane during his sole pit halt of the race.

Aston Martin operator Fernando Alonso steers his car to pb into the archetypal country up of Red Bull operator Sergio Perez. (Hassan Ammar via AP Photo)

He went connected to decorativeness 3rd aft a hard-charging Max Verstappen climbed his mode from 15th to second.

Alonso celebrated connected the podium lone for the FIA to crockery retired different punishment aft the celebrations had concluded.

Another 10 seconds were added to his contention time, dropping him from 3rd to 4th down George Russell of Mercedes.

Race victor Sergio Perez, 2nd placed Max Verstappen (L) and 3rd placed Fernando Alonso (R) observe connected way aft the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The FIA deemed that the rear jack touching the car was tantamount to moving connected it and arsenic specified the squad had breached the rules fixed nary enactment is to beryllium done connected the car erstwhile a punishment is being served.

F1 regulations bash not explicitly authorities that mechanics cannot interaction the car, instead, the applicable nonfiction reads: "While a car is stationary successful the pit lane arsenic a effect of incurring a punishment ... it whitethorn not beryllium worked connected until the car has been stationary for the duration of the penalty."

Aston Martin was of the content that they had not worked connected the car and appealed that decision.

The squad presented 7 different instances of cars being touched by the rear jack portion serving a punishment wherever those drivers were not further penalised.

The FIA reviewed the determination and decided to overturn the 10-second penalty, allowing Alonso to clasp his podium.

"Having reviewed the caller evidence, we concluded that determination was nary wide agreement, arsenic was suggested to the Stewards previously, that could beryllium relied upon to find that parties had agreed that a jack touching a car would magnitude to moving connected the car, without more," work a stewards study from the FIA.

"In the circumstances, we considered that our archetypal determination to enforce a punishment connected Car 14 needed to beryllium reversed and we did truthful accordingly."

It marked the 100th podium decorativeness for Alonso successful his illustrious Formula 1 career.

The 2023 play continues connected March 31-April 2 with the Australian Grand Prix astatine the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit.

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