A 3rd consecutive podium for Alonso: unexpected 27 points for the Aston Martin team at the Australian F1 GP

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The Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix, won by Max Verstappen on Sunday, ended in chaos, but Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are certainly not going to complain.   

The two Aston Martin team-mates finished third and fourth respectively, a result which gives the team led by Montrealer Lawrence Stroll an unexpected harvest of 27 points in Melbourne. 

And yet , everything could have changed after a particularly lively third standing start where the two drivers lost positions which would have relegated them outside the top 10 and out of the points. 

But the management of the race decided to maintain the order of the positions before a final symbolic restart which put an end to the test behind the safety car. 

Fortunately no damage

“We were lucky, but we didn't steal anything,” exclaimed Mike Krack. 

“Hostilities resumed in an uproar and I must admit it was a relief to see the starting order restored. Some drivers [including the two Alpine color bearers] lost big in this mess. 

“Fortunately, our two cars were not damaged and we were able to rally the arrival behind the safety car, “added the director of Aston Martin. 

Too many red flags?

Despite his third appearance on the podium in three races since the start of the 2023 season, Alonso, like many of his opponents, did not really understand why the marshals deployed so many of red flags (three in total) to signify the interruption of the debates. 

“To be honest, I was surprised to see so many red flags”, indicated the Spanish veteran on the airwaves of the UK Sky Sports network. 

Georges Russell and Lando Norris, in particular, have also criticized certain decisions which they describe as dubious by the commissioners of the International Automobile Federation (FIA). 

Penalty too severe according to Alonso

After the third standing start, Alonso's car was hit by the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz. The latter was penalized by five seconds, which put him in all his states.

Even Alonso admitted that his compatriot was unfairly punished. 

“I must say that this punishment is probably too severe. In the first round, anything can happen and often you end up in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said. 

Two points up from last year

Stroll found himself at the foot of the podium despite going off the track after the third restart. 

“We did well after everything that happened. I was riding in third place, which I was trying to protect, but I entered a corner too quickly and left my path,” he said as he got out of the car.

Despite a heartbreaking retirement two weeks earlier in Saudi Arabia, the Montrealer is in fifth place (tied with Sainz) in the overall standings. 

With 20 points accumulated in three stages, Stroll counts two points more than his total production obtained in 22 events last year.