F1 Canadian GP: Fernando Alonso handed five-second penalty for weaving, drops to ninth

Fernando Alonso has been hit with a five-second time penalty after he was found guilty of weaving excessively when defending from Valtteri Bottas on the final lap of the F1 Canadian Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso

Alonso was sꦚuffering from an engine clipping issue in the second half of the race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve which impacted his speed on the straights. 

The problem wo𓆉rsened in the closing laps, allowing A♛lfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas to close up following the Safety Car period caused by Yuki Tsunoda.

Alonso managed to🏅 fend off the Finn, mainly thanks to Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon giving him DRS to defend hi🅷s position.

On the final lap, Alonso moved several times ܫon the straight which forced Bottas to lift off to avoid being pushed into the barrier on the left-hand side of the circuit.

As a result, the two-time F1 champion has been handed🍸 a five-second penalty, dropping🗹 him to ninth behind Bottas and Guanyu Zhou.

Fernando Alonso (ESP) Alpine F1 Team A522. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 9, Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal, Canada, Race
Fernando Alonso (ESP) Alpine F1 Team A522. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 9, Canadian Grand…

The FIA stewards’ statement read: “Between turns 10 and 12, on the penultimate lap of the race, car 14 made repeated changes ꦗof direction to defend against car 77 who had to lift at one point and briefly lost momentum. 

“Whilst noting the driver’s point that at no stage was any point of car 77 alongside car 14, the Stewa🎃rds consider this to be a clear breach of the above reguﷺlation. 

“The Stewards therefore impose a 5 seconds time penalty in line wit꧂h that imposed for a similar incident in A꧂ustralia 2022.”

Sebastian Vettel has been cleared by the stewards after being investigated for a Safety Caღr infringement. 

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