Aston Martin F1 defends Fernando Alonso following a controversial incident with George Russell, asserting no intentional harm. Team Principal Mike Krack emphasizes Alonso’s extensive experience and commitment to safety in motorsports.
Aston Martin F1 issued a press release Tuesday evening, in which Team Principal Mike Krack reflected on the incident involving George Russell, for which Fernando Alonso was penalized. He disputed any suggestion that his driver intentionally endangered his competitor.
“First and foremost, in motorsports, everyone is relieved George is okay and emerged unscathed from his accident,” Krack penned. “I want you to know that we fully support Fernando.”
“He is the most experienced driver in Formula 1, having entered more Grands Prix than anyone else and boasting over 20 years of experience. He has been a multiple-time world champion across several categories.”
The Luxembourg national found the penalty hard to swallow as there was no contact between the two cars, and he explained that Aston Martin cannot appeal the decision.
“Receiving a 20-second penalty when there was no contact with the trailing car was hard to digest, but we must accept the decision. We did our utmost, but without new evidence, we are not in a position to request a review.”
“Fernando is an exceptional driver and employed every tool in his arsenal to finish ahead of George, as we saw in Brazil last year with Sergio [Perez]. This is the essence of motorsport at its highest level. He would never intentionally put anyone at risk.”
“Sacrificing entry speed is part of the craft”
Alonso also assured that his intent was not to destabilize Russell, but merely to prevent him from gaining an advantage after the turn: “We were somewhat surprised by a penalty at the end of the race regarding how we should approach corners or how we should drive the race cars.”
“At no point do we want to do anything harmful at these speeds. I believe that without gravel in that corner, in any other corner in the world, we would never be under investigation.”
“In F1, with more than 20 years of experience, I’ve learned from epic duels like Imola 2005/2006 and Brazil 2023, that changing trajectories, sacrificing entry speed for good corner exits is part of the art of motorsport.”
“We never drive at 100% on every race lap and at every corner, we save fuel, tires, brakes, so being accountable for not driving the same way every lap is a bit surprising. We have to accept it and look forward to Japan, to have more pace and fight for higher positions.”
.Aston Martin Stands by Alonso in Russell Clash. Aston Martin Stands by Alonso in Russell Clash
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