Fernando Alonso believes the decision to penalise him for cutting the chicane despite being forced off track is another example of “how bad Formula 1 is”.
The Spaniard was battling Lance Stroll with the Canadian passing around the outside of 130R on the approach to the final chicane, however, he would come back across to the racing line inadvertently putting Alonso off track.
Having decided to floor it across the gravel rather than slow down and stay on the tarmac, the stewards used that to give the McLaren driver a five-second penalty with race director Charlie Whiting later claiming he should have given the place back to Stroll.
“It just shows how bad F1 is,” said Alonso. “In the decisions, in the randomness, in the pure consistency.
“You are braking on the outside at the last corner and one guy didn’t see you and came here to apologise after you go on the gravel and you get the penalty.
“It’s a shame.”
A tale of two penalties early on for Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso
And how close did they get?!? ?#JapaneseGP #F1 ?? pic.twitter.com/Cj50OvOhWk
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 7, 2018
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The 37-year-old, who will be leaving the grid at the end of the year, also voided any blame on Stroll for causing him to go off track.
“He didn’t see me,” he said.
“If he saw me and said ‘I’m going to put you in the grass’ it’s another thing but the stewards are an unfortunate situation in a race situation.
“It doesn’t change much because instead of 14th maybe you finish 12th but you know, it’s the way it is.”