Former F1 driver labels Alonso an "asshole" after 'dirty trick on Russell'

Fernando Alonso thought he would be classified sixth after the Australian Grand Prix, but the Spaniard was handed a 20-second time penalty. The stewards found that the Aston Martin driver committed a dangerous manoeuvre on George Russell, causing the Briton to lose control of his Mercedes and fly into the wall. Opinions differ on whether Alonso did anything deliberatly or not. In any case, former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde argues that the penalty was justified.

The stewards arrived at the penalty in Melbourne on Sunday because they saw Alonso go through the corner differently. As a result, Russell was surprised and thus crashed. "I get it, but this really went too far," Van der Garde said in his own podcast DRS: The Race Show. "This was a dirty trick by Alonso. You can see how much slower he was going than the corner before. Going on the brakes in the middle of the straight is really a no-go."

Fernando Alonso was already active in Formula 1 when the now-retired Van der Garde was also in the sport. In 2013, the current analyst drove for Caterham. "I have a lot of respect for Alonso, but he really is an asshole. So is Russell, but a little less so," is Van der Garde's conclusion.

Van der Garde doubts Mercedes

If Mercedes does not manage to loosen Max Verstappen from Red Bull Racing, Alonso is a candidate to relieve Lewis Hamilton after this season. Van der Garde wonders aloud whether Mercedes is an ideal destination for this (former) world champion, especially now that an engine just plopped in Melbourne? "We didn't see it that bad last year. They were consistent then though, in the points every time. This year is just bad, something has to start happening internally."