Fernando Alonso "open" to FIA comments over controversial Kimi Raikkonen pass

Alonso and Raikkonen in the US — Photo: © LAT Images

Mexico City Grand Prix

Alonso "open" to FIA comments over controversial Raikkonen pass

Raikkonen passed Alonso off the track in Texas

Ian Parkes & Sam Hall

Thursday 4 November 2021 21:02 Updated: 21:15

Fernando Alonso is "open to listening" to FIA race director Michael Masi's explanation as to why Kimi Raikkonen's off-track pass was deemed legal in the United States Grand Prix.

In Texas, Raikkonen drew level with Alonso along the start straight before attempting a pass around the outside of turn one, a move that was completed off the track after the Finn was forced wide.

Unlike other instances in the race, Raikkonen was not instructed to hand back the position, a situation Masi is set to clarify in Friday's drivers' briefing.

Article continues under video

“I am open to listening to whatever they want to say but this is exactly what I don’t want to happen," explained Alonso. “There are many other things we should discuss in that meeting tomorrow like on lap one, they removed the bumps on the outside after the problem with F4 and the car that launched on the outside of turn one and there were three or four cars that went wide.

“So I would love to talk about those cars as we talked about Sochi [with the turn one run-off chicane].”

Following the race in Austin, Alonso described passing off the track to a handball in football.

Repeating the analogy ahead of this weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix, Alonso added: “If you are talking in football and you take the ball inside the area with your hands, it will be a penalty.

"So you don’t need to bring this to every match. Every time you touch the ball with your hands in the penalty area it is going to be a penalty in every match you do.”

F1 must find a "better solution" to track limits

Track limits have been a common topic in recent years, with Masi's race directors' notes often changing the track-limit definition from the white line to the far edge of the kerb in the middle of a weekend.

Somewhat confusingly for fans, the limit also more often than not varies in location from corner to corner.

Assessing the ongoing issues, Alonso added: “Obviously, the answers are always very constructive and very positive because we all want to race as fair as possible and we try to address all the problems.

"Because sometimes it is not only the driver’s input or the race itself, it is just the nature of the circuit.

“In Sochi, you will always have more problems than in Silverstone or different circuits. But we try to work together for a better solution.

“Let’s see, and on the other side, it is not frustration. I just try to race fair and to put a good show for the people in the grandstand and on TV.

“We have a lot of fans around the world and we saw the race in Austin how fantastic it was to witness the grandstands full of people, so you try to put on a fair show for everybody.”