This was the scuffle between Alonso and Sainz in the race to the ‘sprint’ of the F1 Chinese GP

Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso got tangled this Saturday in a brawl during the first race at sprintof the course, in Shanghai, which ended with the first obvious disagreement between them in the eight years that the two Spaniards have been sharing the court. The first finished fifth and the second was forced to abandon, as a result of the collision they had while fighting for the last place on the podium, with two laps to go. With the tires badly affected by wear and little room for maneuver, the exchange of blows they had, a delicious give and take for the spectator, led to the Asturian’s puncture.

As soon as he finished, Alonso reproached his compatriot for not leaving him room in one of the many overtakes, during the heat of the battle they fought against each other. Sainz, for his part, described the Asturian’s defensive maneuver as soon as he was overcome as “somewhat optimistic.” “I attacked Fernando and managed to overtake him well. Then, I think he made a somewhat optimistic move to give it back to me, and that cost him and me the race, because it caused a lot of damage and I went backwards,” lamented the Ferrari driver, who also had trouble. with Charles Leclerc, his partner in the Scuderia, who finally overtook him and finished third. “Carlos is a very intelligent guy and after the race he will understand that he has been a little too aggressive, in the same way that I have sometimes been too,” agreed the Monegasque. After the testimonies from the parc ferme, and after listening to the explanations of the man from Oviedo, the stewards sanctioned Alonso with a ten-second penalty, and with the loss of three points on his license. Nothing serious as long as he doesn’t lose another nine over the next year, since in that case he would be forced to miss out on a big prize.

“These are these types of sanctions that are not understood and that I do not agree with, but that must be accepted because they are imposed by those in power,” Alonso complained after the qualifying session. “Above all, the three points on the card, which is something unprecedented. It even makes you wonder if it’s worth going out for a run. sprint“Next time, for the few points that are at stake,” argued the runner.

The punishment imposed on Aston Martin, in any case, made visible another anomaly that will need to be corrected. More than anything, the ten seconds that were added to the two-time world champion’s time (2005 and 2006) had no impact as he was forced to retire.

The scuffle, however, was not limited to the runners. Hours after qualifying ended, Aston Martin filed a formal protest against Ferrari. In it, the Silverstone team (Great Britain) urged the review of the incident caused by Sainz, in the final stretch of the second heat (Q2), which led to the neutralization of the session with a red flag. Despite this, the son of the two-time world rally champion (1990 and 1992) was able to return to the workshop after putting his car back into operation, and that allowed him to take part in the final criva (Q3).

Article 39.6 of the regulations prohibits any participant whose car has stopped on the track from participating in subsequent rounds. It so happens that Lance Stroll, Alonso’s workshop neighbor at Aston Martin, crossed the finish line with the eleventh best time in Q2, becoming the first of those eliminated, an event that gives meaning to Ferrari’s protest.

You can follow Morning Express Deportes inFacebook andxor sign up here to receiveour weekly newsletter.