Alpine protests against Fernando Alonso's penalty at 2022 F1 US GP on grounds of delayed complaint
Alpine spoke against the protest displayed by Haas that saw Fernando Alonso get a 30-second time penalty post the race.
During the United States Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso was involved in a significant crash with Lance Stroll, which saw him being launched into the air and then back on the ground. This triggered a second safety car right after the first one had ended. Though Stroll had to retire from the race at that very moment, Alonso carried on into the race with a new front wing and tires and managed to finish P7.
Fernando Alonso. That’s it. That’s the tweet. https://t.co/uy1zGkWKHA
However, Haas went to the FIA after the race and called out Fernando Alonso and Alpine for unsafe driving. This is because, during the race, one of Alonso's rear-view mirrors fell off on the track, which could have been a hazard for other drivers. Surprisingly though, no black and orange flags were waved for the Spaniard. When this was brought to the attention of the stewards and the FIA by Haas, they awarded Alonso a 30-second time penalty. This sent him back to P15.
Alpine now, however, has protested against this. According to them, the protest by the team was "lodged 24 minutes after the specified deadline," so it should not have been accepted.
“The team also believes due to the protest being lodged 24 minutes past the specified deadline, it should not have been accepted and therefore the penalty should be considered as invalid."
Alpine revealed that Fernando Alonso's car was considered 'legal' by an FIA delegate
Through Haas' consideration for Fernando Alonso's time penalty, they stated that the stewards had assessed the car during the race, which is why they did not give them a black and orange flag. Otherwise, the latter would have happened.
“The FIA has the right to black and orange flag a car during the race if they consider it unsafe and, on this occasion, they assessed the car and decided not to action the flag."
They also revealed that an FIA delegate considered the car legal post-race.
"Moreover, after the race, the FIA technical delegate considered the car legal."
Otmar Szafnauer believes it is ridiculous to affect their driver's race in such a way. He also said that cars are allowed to finish races with accidental damage, as it 'happens all of the time.'
Although Haas contested the team for this penalty, they and Alpine are far apart in the standings. Currently standing 4th in the table, Alpine is enjoying a lead over McLaren this season. The two teams have been battling for the 4th place finish behind Mercedes this year, and though they have been switching places constantly, they are enjoying a 6-point lead of144 points with just three races remaining in the season.