Fernando Alonso claims he has been unfairly penalised because of his ‘nationality’ after a crash with Lewis Hamilton in Miami (Photo: Getty)
Sir Lewis Hamilton only escapes penalties ‘because he’s not Spanish’, Formula 1 rival Fernando Alonso has outlandishly claimed.
Alonso’s comments came after the Sprint race in Miami on Saturday, where the Spaniard and Hamilton were involved in a multi-car collision at the first corner.
The crash knocked Alonso’s Aston Martin Martin teammate Lance Stroll and McLaren’s Lando Norris out of the race, while the two-time champion fell to the back of the grid.
Hamilton meanwhile continued unscathed and would go onto to cross the finish line in eighth after a thrilling battle with Kevin Magnussen and Yuki Tsunoda, only to be slapped with a 20-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane which dropped him back to 16th.
The seven-time champion did however escape punishment for the turn one crash, with the stewards deeming that he was not ‘wholly responsible’ to blame, deeming it a racing incident.
Alonso, who has been controversially penalised for causing crashes in the last few grand prix, wasn’t impressed by his former teammate’s driving, saying ‘Hamilton arrived like a bull’ into the corner.
Speaking prior to the stewards’ ruling, the 42-year-old said: ‘Let’s see what they decide, I guess they won’t decide anything because he’s not Spanish.
‘I think he [Hamilton] ruined the race of many drivers, specially to Norris who has a very fast car and he lost everything on that incident.’
He later doubled down on those comments, adding: ‘Those moves weren’t penalised, but they always penalise me.
‘I had to open the car because Hamilton was coming without control of his car. If I did that, for sure I’d get a penalty.
Hamilton will start the Miami GP from P8 on the grid (Photo: Getty)
‘I do feel that nationality matters. I will speak with Mohammed [Ben Sulayem, FIA president], with FIA, whatever.
‘I need to make sure that there is not anything wrong with my nationality or anything that can influence any decision – not only for me, also for the future generation of Spanish drivers that need to be protected.’
Reports claim that Alonso did indeed seek out Ben Sulayem and was seen leaving the FIA hospitality with Aston Martin boss Mike Krack.
More Trending
Norris for his part sided against his fellow Brit, saying: ‘Lewis dived up the inside and caused the incident. Nothing I could do about that.’
The main event of the Miami Grand Prix is still to come, with the race set to get underway on Sunday at 9pm UK time.
Hamilton will start the race from eighth on the grid, while Max Verstappen, who also won the Sprint race, is on pole ahead of the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.