Alonso and Russell in hilarious Twitter exchange after Saudi podium fiasco

Fernando Alonso has jokingly asked George Russell for his Saudi Arabia trophy back after being stripped of, then reinstated to, third place in the Grand Prix.

The Spaniard claimed the 100th podium of his F1 career in the Middle East but it looked to have slipped away after race stewards applied a 10-second penalty shortly after the ceremony for failing to serve an initial five-second punishment correctly.

Russell was the big benefactor rising from fourth to claim Mercedes’ first trophy of the season however his joy was short-lived as Aston Martin were successful in their appeal late on Sunday night.

As a result, Alonso was reinstated to the podium and now it appears that he wants his trophy back.

Fernando Alonso: ‘Hola’

Alonso has now light-heartedly asked Russell for his trophy back, posting a closeup picture of himself under the Brit’s tweet celebrating third with the caption: “Hola” alongside some angel emojis and a back arrow pointing to the trophy.

Hola😇 🏆🔙😇 pic.twitter.com/b8amUuvc08

— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) March 20, 2023

While Russell is yet to respond Mercedes appear to have seen the funny side. The Silver Arrows Twitter admin posted a photo of their own with the 25-year-old holding a P4 note in place of the silverware.

It's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all 💔 pic.twitter.com/OWgSghG1tx

— GPFans Global (@GPFansGlobal) March 19, 2023

Alonso’s tweet has received a huge response from fans. It has been seen by 7.4 million people and it has received over 250,000 likes at the time of writing.

READ MORE: F1 Twitter's best Saudi Arabian GP memes

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