Fernando Alonso insists Lewis Hamilton should be sent to the BACK of the grid for changing his engine for a fifth time, after Max Verstappen’s moans about rival’s ‘power boost’ in race for the title
- Alonso believes Hamilton should be penalised for exceeding his engine use
- Mercedes changed Brit’s engine for a fifth time before his win in Sao Paulo
- He was handed a five-place grid penalty for changing his engine again in Brazil
- However, Hamilton stormed back to win in Sao Paulo and again in Qatar
- Verstappen and Alonso believe his punishment should’ve been more severe
Fernando Alonso believes Lewis Hamilton should be sent to the back of the grid for using his fifth engine of the season.
In F1, drivers are allowed to use three different engines over the course of the season, and incur sanctions if they go beyond that.
Having already been hit with a penalty after using their fourth engine of the season, Mercedes decided to change the internal combustion unit again ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, which saw Hamilton slapped with a five-grid penalty for the race and a starting position of 10th on the grid.
Fernando Alonso (left) believes Lewis Hamilton (right) should be sent to the back of the grid for using his fifth engine of the season
However, the Brit pulled off one of his best ever drives as he stormed to a victory in Sao Paulo, helping him close the gap to title-rival Max Verstappen.
The added boost in power also saw the Brit comfortably win the first ever Qatar Grand Prix earlier this month, blowing the title race wide open with just two races to go.
But with Hamilton enjoying a new lease of life with his new engine, two-time Formula One champion Alonso believes the Mercedes man should be handed a more severe punishment for changing his engine once again.
‘Those who have exceeded a certain number of engines per year should be sent to the back of the grid,’ Alonso told Spanish outlet AS.
Alonso has echoed Verstappen’s argument that Hamilton’s punishment was illogical, given how the Brit easily cancelled out the grid penalty with the extra power he has gained from the new unit.
Hamilton produced a stunning drive to win the Brazilian GP after his fifth engine change
Hamilton has won two races since changing his engine and has closed the gap to Verstappen
After Hamilton’s stunning win at Interlagos, Verstappen said: ‘In theory Mercedes can put in a new combustion engine every Grand Prix, take five places penalty and benefit from the power boost.’
Verstappen has since seen his championship lead shrink to 14 points after Hamilton’s win in Brazil and then again to just eight points after Qatar, with the Dutchman finishing second on the podium behind the Mercedes man last time out.
Despite the title race going down to the last two circuits, Verstappen insists it is a good thing that it’s going down to the wire.
‘We just need to try and stay focused and there are two races to go and as you can see a lot of things can happen. Anything is possible.
‘I feel good. It’s going to be a tight battle to the end. I know it’s going to be difficult to the end, but I think that’s nice – it keeps it exciting.’
Verstappen (left) claimed the penalty given to Hamilton for his engine change was illogical
Hamilton will be hoping his power advantage can carry over into this weekend’s penultimate race in Saudi Arabia, where Verstappen currently holds an eight-point lead.
Should Hamilton win ahead of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Sunday and Verstappen finish in second, the Dutchman’s lead at the top of the driver’s standing will be cut to just one point.
It would ensure that one of the most exciting battles for the F1 drivers’ championship goes down to the very last race in Abu Dhabi in a fortnight’s time.