F1 champion Fernando Alonso slammed with HUGE penalty at Austrian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, Austria, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

Austrian Grand Prix

F1 champion slammed with HUGE penalty

It was a clumsy collision at turn three

Rhys Thomas

Sunday 30 June 2024 15:54

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Fernando Alonso was given a ten-second time penalty for a collision with Zhou Guanyu on lap 21 of the Austrian Grand Prix.

The Stake F1 Team driver emerged from the pit lane and was overtaken by Yuki Tsunoda into the tight turn three.

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The Aston Martin driver then arrived on the scene with too much speed and bumped Zhou off the track with contact on the Chinese driver's right-hand side.

Replays showed that the Spaniard locked up attempting to follow Tsunoda past Zhou and could not avoid running into the Stake's sidepod.

The FIA came down strongly on Fernando Alonso's botched overtake

Guanyu Zhou was on the receiving end of Fernando Alonso's blunder

Aston Martin's torrid time continues

By the time F1 landed in Austria last season, Alonso had amassed six podiums in a supremely quick Aston Martin car.

This time around, Alonso's best grand prix finish is fifth at the second race in Saudi Arabia, and his team appear to be slipping further and further back from the front four teams.

Alonso recently tied himself into a new contract at the Silverstone-based team through until 2026, but as their developments struggle to find time, the two-time world champion will likely have to rely on nailing the new regulations to compete near the front again.

Team-mate Lance Stroll also recently renewed his deal, but is having an even worse season, with 17 points to Alonso's 41.

Aston Martin are fifth in the constructors' standings, but have become detached from the front four teams and are falling towards Visa Cash App RB and Alpine, who were both running ahead throughout the Austrian GP weekend.