Fernando Alonso was third again after an absurd FIA penalty and reversal

Fernando Alonso was relegated to third place at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to cap an absurd couple of hours after the podium ceremony.

Alonso clinched the third-place trophy after finishing behind the two Red Bulls, but shortly after celebrating on the podium he was handed a 10-second penalty that dropped him behind Mercedes’ George Russell .

The FIA ​​felt that when Alonso pitted mid-race, Aston Martin improperly executed a five-second penalty he received after failing to position himself correctly on his grid spot.

The FIA’s verdict said the rear jack had touched the car before Alonso was stationary for five seconds.

After his original penalty was imposed, Alonso criticized the race stewards.

“Today is not good for the fans,” said the Spaniard.

“If you have 35 laps to give the penalty and you wait until after the podium, something is wrong with the system.”

Fernando Alonso was reinstated in third place. Eric Alonso/Getty Images

After Aston Martin appealed, that penalty was reversed just after 1am, putting Alonso back in third place – the 100th podium finish of his F1 career and Aston Martin’s second in a row.

The stewards’ verdict on the reversal read: “After reviewing the new evidence, we concluded that there was no clear agreement, as previously suggested to the stewards, on which to rely to establish that the parties agreed that a jack would touch a car is work on the car.

“Under the circumstances, we felt that our initial decision to penalize Auto 14 needed to be reversed and we have done so accordingly.”

An FIA statement said: “The request to the stewards to review the original decision (Document 51) was made on the final lap of the race as a result of new evidence on the definition of ‘work on the car’ for which there was conflicting precedent , and this was revealed by this specific circumstance.

“This issue will therefore be taken up at the next Sporting Advisory Committee, which will be held on Thursday 23 March, and clarification will be issued ahead of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. This open approach to reviewing and improving its processes is part of the FIA’s ongoing mission to regulate sport in a fair and transparent manner.”