close
close

Fernando Alonso holds top-level FIA talks after the incident with Lewis Hamilton in Miami

Fernando Alonso remained true to his belief that “nationality plays a role” when stewards make their decisions and kept his promise to speak to FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Alonso, a driver who has been heavily penalized in recent weeks, angered stewards at the Miami Grand Prix when they decided not to penalize Lewis Hamilton despite the Brit colliding with Alonso early in the sprint.

Fernando Alonso spoke to the FIA ​​President in Miami

In the battle for position, Alonso clashed with teammate Lance Stroll, but Hamilton charged “like a bull,” as Alonso put it, into the Spaniard and plowed into the Aston Martin.

Hamilton was examined by the stewards after the sprint, but Alonso predicted what the result would be.

“Let’s see what they (the stewards) decide. I think they won’t decide anything because he’s not Spanish,” he told DAZN.

The stewards chose not to penalize Hamilton, deciding that he was just a part of several collisions and therefore was not solely at fault.

Alonso stuck to his opinion that “nationality is important for stewards” and said he would speak to FIA President Ben Sulayem about it.

He added: “I have to make sure that there is nothing wrong with my nationality or anything that can influence a decision – not only for me but also for the future generation of Spanish drivers who need to be protected.”

The Spaniard was later seen leaving the FIA ​​hospitality area with his team boss Mike Krack.

Recommended reading from PlanetF1.com

F1 2024: Head-to-head race stats between teammates

Revealed: The most penalized drivers and teams on the F1 2024 grid

The Spaniard confirmed to media in Miami on Sunday that he had spoken to Ben Sulayem, praising the FIA ​​president as someone who was “always” ready to listen to drivers.

“I spoke to him and he always agrees with the drivers’ opinions,” Alonso said.

“He knows that we are the ones driving the cars and that we can have some suggestions.

“There are a few issues that we need to address as a sport. But he always listened to us. Let’s see if we can make Formula 1 a better sport and a little more consistent.”

Krack, who previously said it felt like his riders were being targeted, said better consistency was needed.

The Aston Martin team principal also called on the entire grid to review this year’s new guidelines.

“There are two elements. On the one hand, of course we want uniform judgments,” said the German.

“But on the other hand, we have also introduced new guidelines for this season – and sometimes we maybe fall a little bit because we are stuck in the way we have been racing.

“Sometimes you think they should be more consistent. But of course depending on which end (of the penalty) you are at, you have a different interpretation of consistency.

“But I think everyone wants consistency. Everyone should look at the guidelines, including ourselves, and then let’s start again.”

Continue reading: Revealed: The mighty McLaren MCL38 upgrades threaten to dethrone Red Bull’s RB20