Fernando Alonso says the time penalty he received at the Japanese Grand Prix “shows how bad F1 is”, following contact with Lance Stroll.
Stroll moved across on Alonso as the pair battled for position into the Casio Triangle towards the end of the opening lap, and Alonso was forced onto the grass.
Alonso cut across the chicane, and went through the gravel, in order to re-join the track, and stewards deemed that he had gained an advantage in doing so.
It was recognised that “although Car 14 was forced off the track, Car 14 thereafter cut the chicane and re-joined the track, thereby gaining a significant advantage.”
Stroll was penalised for causing the contact but Alonso lashed out at his own five-second time penalty.
“Even when the driver comes to apologise, I think it’s difficult to understand the decision,” he said. “This is how bad Formula 1 is.
“In the decisions, in the random, in the poor consistency.
“You are braking on the outside at the last corner and you go on the gravel, you come here to apologise and you get a penalty. It’s a shame.”
For his part, Stroll added: “It was one of those first lap racing incidents.
“I went around the outside at 130R and got on the grass and then I came back onto the racing line and we made some contact.
“I just wanted to say I didn’t touch him intentionally and then he just went straight on. I think it was just a typical first lap incident where things get heated.
“Just a shame we both get penalties and my race went downhill from there.”
Alonso finished in 14th while Stroll was the final classified runner in 17th.
