Two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso is entering his home race at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend - but his focus is still on what he called "incompetent" stewarding at the last round in Miami.
Alonso had a clumsy afternoon in Miami, banging wheels with Lewis Hamilton before clattering into Pierre Gasly late in the race, a collision which led to a time penalty for Alonso.
He would then be handed another penalty by the F1 stewards for cutting the chicane in the late stages of the race - the combination of the two penalties would drop Alonso out of the points positions.
The Spaniard spoke about the penalty for corner cutting in the pre-race press conference in Barcelona on Friday, and slammed the "unprofessional" behaviour of the stewards in Miami.
Fernando Alonso: Spaniard lays into stewards after Miami Grand Prix
Alpine F1 driver Fernando Alonso was left unimpressed by the performance of the F1 stewards at the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix.
Ahead of his home race at the Circuit de Catalunya, Alonso spoke to the media. Though he received two penalties last time out, it was the penalty handed out for corner cutting that particularly drew his ire.
Alonso said that he and his Alpine team had provided evidence to the stewards that he had not gained a lasting advantage from leaving the track - but that the stewards had already made their decision.
We believe it was very unfair and it was just incompetence from the stewards. They were not very professional in Miami.
They took the decision without asking any proof.
We came there, we showed them all the data. So, they said 'give us five minutes'.
And then they found themselves with their hands tied, probably because they issued the penalty already and they didn't know how to get back from that document.
So, it was very bad and honestly...it's already the past, but it is something that should not happen in Formula 1, with professionals and the standards that Formula 1 has right now.
Without the second penalty, Alonso would have finished in ninth and taken home two points for the Alpine team.
If the data did indeed show that Alonso gained no advantage from cutting the corner, he has every right to feel aggrieved by the F1 stewards' decision. Nonetheless, it was a messy race for Alonso, who was involved in two collisions on track.
📻 "I've been hit from behind."
A replay of the incident between Hamilton and Alonso 👇 pic.twitter.com/5xV9x09WRm— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 8, 2022
Alonso also questioned the F1 stewards on the matter of safety during the opening rounds of the 2022 season.
The new track at Miami drew a mixed response from drivers. Lando Norris and Sergio Perez were among those to question the safety conditions and track surface at the new venue, which winds around the Miami Dolphins' stadium.
Not for the first time this year, the drivers' safety concerns over a track were ignored by the F1 decision makers. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix saw both Ferrari drivers question the lack of run-off at the track, and similar concerns were raised about the concrete barriers at the Miami track's chicane.
Almost mirror incidents for Sainz and Ocon! 🤯🪞
Keep an eye on Turn 14, it's certainly proving to be a precarious one 😅#MiamiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/smymjcJMEJ— Formula 1 (@F1) May 7, 2022
Those concerns were proven right when seemingly innocuous crashes for Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon in practice led to massive G-force readings after they hit the concrete barriers.
Alonso added his voice to the chorus of F1 drivers criticising the track conditions in Miami. He questioned why the stewards had not listened to the concerns of the drivers, and pointed to the crashes for Ocon and Sainz as examples:
You need to have some knowledge about racing before being a race director or trying to monitor a race and I don't think that knowledge is in place at the moment.
The accidents we had in Miami with Carlos and Esteban - we pushed to have some barriers there and some tyres or TecPro, whatever, and no one did anything. So, when you don't have that knowledge of racing, it's difficult to talk.
Safety has been good and probably this year we have the safest cars and circuits and everything - the environment is very safe now in Formula 1.
We just need to keep improving that. We are the only ones driving the cars and feeling the crashes and things like that in our bodies, so when we feel something is needed, I think we should be listened to.
In Miami and some other examples we didn't have that because it seems the focus is in another place.
Fernando Alonso is not the first driver to speak up about the safety conditions of F1 in 2022, and we fear he may not be the last.
The Spanish driver sits in 16th place in the championship after a disappointing start to the season, which has seen him miss out on strong chances for points in Australia and Miami. He will be hoping for a better showing in his home race this weekend.
SEE ALSO: Carlos Sainz Worried About How 2022 F1 Cars Will Affect Health Of Drivers
