Alonso questions Stewards' handling of Mexico GP chaotic start

21:01, 27 Oct

byNorberto Mujica

Fernando Alonso has questioned the FIA’s consistency in enforcing track limits after several drivers went off at the opening corners of the Mexico City Grand Prix and appeared to gain positions without consequence.

I thought that maybe some action was coming, but like in Austin going off track in Turn 1, it seems not a problem.

- Fernando Alonso

The Aston Martin driver made a strong launch from the midfield but lost ground after rivals bypassed the first sequence of turns at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

Reflecting on the incident after retiring from the race, Alonso said the outcome “seems not a problem” for the stewards, drawing a parallel with similar cases in Austin earlier this month.

He said: “I made two places at the start, but then I lost four places by doing the track,” Alonso explained. “There were people just missing Turn 2, Turn 3 flat out, and then they appear like three places in front of me.

Photo: RacePictures.

"So we were parallel into the corner, and they were four places in front of me at the exit of Turn 3. I thought that maybe some action was coming, but like in Austin going off track in Turn 1, it seems not a problem.”

The Spaniard’s criticism is in line with Lewis Hamilton's, who also alluded to the fact that an unnamed driver took advantage going off the track to keep his position.

While his comments reflected disappointment with the stewarding, Alonso admitted that the incident did not significantly alter his race, as Aston Martin struggled with pace and reliability throughout Sunday’s event.

Photo: RacePictures.

“But it didn’t change much. I think for us today, we were not very competitive,” he continued.

“The front wing [damage] was at the start, but it was not really causing any problem. I don’t think the car had different performance because of the front wing, I think it was a minor damage, so no issues there.

"But the brakes were a little bit out of temperature. Always in traffic, we could not really manage much. And at the end, I think the pedal went long, and 40 laps ahead was impossible.”

Alonso’s race ultimately ended in retirement due to brake overheating issues, his second successive DNF, capping off a challenging weekend for Aston Martin, who have struggled to match the top-five teams in recent rounds.

Mexico GP, a handful for the Stewards

The Mexico Grand Prix was a hardly fought race from start to finish. At the start the Stewarding body was faced with many on track incidents that resulted in a myriad of investigations.

A particular situation that saw two marshals running across a live track forcing Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson to take evasive action, is also currently under investigation by the Federation.

Lawson, following the race, criticised the dangerous and potentially tragic incident.

He said: "I boxed, came out on a new set of hards, and then I got to Turn 1, and there were two dudes just running across the track. I nearly had one of them."

You can read his full comments on the matter here.

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