Fernando Alonso had seemingly rolled back the years on Sunday afternoon when he made the podium – but he was relegated post-race to fourth spot.
Alonso lined up in the incorrect position on the start line and was given a five-second penalty in the early stages of the race. Alonso thought he had served it when he made his pit stop, but footage showed the rear jack was in contact with the car before the five seconds had passed.
As a result, Alonso was slapped with a ten-second penalty post-race – which allowed Russell to move up to the podium after Alonso had collected his third-placed prize.
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Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix ahead of his team-mate Max Verstappen.
Verstappen had started 15th on the grid before he weaved up the field to finish second on the day, but his race wasn’t without controversy. The Dutchman was seemingly given a huge helping hand by a safety car, which allowed Verstappen to pit.
However, replays showed Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin was well off the track when he suffered the mechanical failure – which led to questions if a safety car was necessary.
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(Image: XPB Images/PA Images)
The FIA released a statement to explain the decision: “From the initial camera angles available the exact position of the stopped car (STR) was unclear, and therefore safety car was deployed as the safest option.”
Russell’s team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, wasn’t able to move up as a result of Alonso’s relegation, and he remained fifth on the day.
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