Skip to main content

F1 clarifies pitstop penalties after Alonso confusion

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso steers his car in the pit lane at the Jeddah corniche F1 circuit, on March 12, 2023. (Luca Bruno / AP) Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso steers his car in the pit lane at the Jeddah corniche F1 circuit, on March 12, 2023. (Luca Bruno / AP)
Share
MELBOURNE -

Formula One officials confirmed on Friday that teams can no longer touch their cars with jacks during penalty pitstops in the wake of the Fernando Alonso controversy at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Aston Martin driver Alonso was handed a five-second penalty for an error on the starting grid at Jeddah and then another for failing to serve it properly - the rear jack being in contact with his car before the five seconds were up.

The additional penalty saw the twice world champion demoted to fourth from third but stewards later rowed back on the decision after Aston Martin successfully appealed against it, putting Alonso back on the podium.

With teams banned from working on cars during penalty pitstops, the governing FIA issued a directive to clear up the matter.

"For clarity and until further notice, in this context the physical touching of the car or driver by hand, tools or equipment (including the front and rear jacks) during any such penalty will all be considered to constitute work," the FIA said.

The directive follows an FIA decision to widen grid slots at Albert Park for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix after Esteban Ocon and Alonso were penalized for missing their marks in the season's first two races.

Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Robert Birsel

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Local Spotlight

N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49

A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.

Record-setting pop tab collection for Ontario boy

It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.

Stay Connected