Formula 1
Alpine: Austin F1 protest drew "line in the sand" for black-and-orange flag
Alpine believes its protest of Fernando Alonso’s penalty in Austin helped draw a “line in the sand” for using the black-and-orange flag in Formula 1 for minor damage.
Luke Smith Adam Cooper
Edited: Nov 10, 2022, 11:12 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Alonso initially lost his seventh-place finish in the United States Grand Prix after Haas successfully lodged a protest claiming his car was unsafe due to a missing rear view mirror, caused by the crash with Lance Stroll.
The resulting 30-second penalty dropped the Spaniard to 15th, but Alpine lodged a counter-protest on the grounds Haas had submitted its initial protest too late.
The stewards ultimately ruled in Alpine's favour, ensuring Alonso regained P7 in Austin, but the case led to talks over the use of the black-and-orange flag in F1 for minor damage.
Haas initially lodged the protest in a bid for consistency, having been forced to pit three times this season due to a loose front wing endplate that it claimed was still safe.
Alpine sporting director Alan Permane welcomed the FIA's ruling and said he was encouraged by talks over what would be considered enough damage to warrant intervention.
"We had some very positive discussions yesterday with the FIA technical department, and I think they agreed that things have gone a little bit too far," said Permane.
"I don't think anyone, maybe apart from Haas, felt that having a mirror knocked off in an accident that wasn't your fault. And then that drive Fernando did, he should have kept that seventh place.
"I think from here onwards, small damages like a mirror, like from-wing endplate, if it's non-structural, like a brake duct, something like that, will not be considered to be a black-and-orange flag offence.
Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522, collides with Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR22
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
"This is still ongoing. I'm sure at the Technical Advisory Committee and the Sporting Advisory Committee, those levels will discuss it more, but a little bit of line in the sand has been drawn.
"Hopefully there'll be better racing because of it."
Permane said that FIA technical chiefs Jo Bauer and Nikolas Tombazis had specifically said that a black-and-orange flag would no longer be used for a missing wing mirror, something he said was "sensible place."
Motorsport.com reported last week that the FIA is set to reduce the amount it uses the black-and-orange flag in races, placing the onus on teams to ensure their cars are running in a safe manner.
This came after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem requested a review into the use of the black-and-orange flag in the wake of the Alonso incident and the subsequent protests.
There was some confusion over the action lodged by both Haas and Alpine after the race, including concerns raised by the FIA stewards about race control's actions.
AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost felt the action was "not managed in the best possible way" and "a little bit too chaotic", but he hoped the teams could work with race control to better define what should be considered enough damage to make a car unsafe.
"I hope that we will not face this anymore in the future," said Tost. "I think that also the FIA has to be a little bit more friendly to the teams."
He added: "I think that also the teams have to work together very closely with the FIA to sort out whether it's dangerous to drive this car, and safety is not any more respected and guaranteed."
Read Also:
- Alpine: F1 2022 engine performance gain worth reliability risks
- Alpine: Alonso F1 engine failures are "luck of the draw"
- Alpine paying price for "courageous" F1 engine development push
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Vettel still giving "everything I have" to help Aston prepare for F1 2023
Next article Verstappen doesn’t understand need for more F1 sprint races
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Luke Smith
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
Formula 1
Formula 1
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Formula 1
Formula 1
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Latest news
Max Verstappen slams “unacceptable” bumps at Austin F1 track: “It's out of control”
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
5 h
Max Verstappen slams “unacceptable” bumps at Austin F1 track: “It's out of control”
Kimi Antonelli ready to "finish the job" as first F1 title chance beckons at US GP
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
6 h
Kimi Antonelli ready to "finish the job" as first F1 title chance beckons at US GP
How to watch NASCAR at Talladega II: Weekend schedule, start time, entry list, TV
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
6 h
How to watch NASCAR at Talladega II: Weekend schedule, start time, entry list, TV
Peterson Racing addresses online abuse after parting ways with Austin Green
NASCAR O'Reilly
NOAP NASCAR O'Reilly
Talladega II
7 h
Peterson Racing addresses online abuse after parting ways with Austin Green
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe