Alonso was initially given a post-race 30-second penalty after a protest by Haas that claimed the Spaniard’s automobile was in a harmful situation after he drove for a lot of laps with a flapping proper mirror, after which completed the race with no rear visibility after it got here unfastened and fell off.
Haas additionally protested the Pink Bull of Sergio Perez, which ran for six laps with a broken endplate that finally flew off.
The Haas protests had been sparked by frustration after the workforce misplaced factors by a sequence of three black and orange flags for Kevin Magnussen at totally different races, all as a result of endplate injury.
The stewards rejected the Perez protest, however Alonso was excluded from his seventh place. Alpine then protested the choice on the idea that the Haas protest was put in late.
In actual fact it was late as a result of race director Niels Wittich had erroneously advised Haas that it had an hour to get protest in, when the precise restrict was 30 minutes.
The admissibility of the Alpine protest was thought of on Thursday in a digital listening to carried out by the unique Austin stewards.
They rejected the protest, however Alpine then countered with a request for a proper of evaluation.
That was accepted, and late on Thursday night it was lastly determined that Alpine had case, and Alonso’s penalty was cancelled and the unique outcomes reinstated.
Requested if the workforce had received the end result it deserved Szafnauer stated there was an even bigger image.
“I feel we received the consequence that F1 deserved, actually,” he advised Autosport. “I imagine justice prevailed, though I’ve my pure biases, as a result of I am for this workforce and needed to see him in seventh.
“However the protest was put in out of time, and it ought to have by no means been heard. And that was our argument. And I feel the FIA recognised that, and made the appropriate choice.”
Otmar Szafnauer, Workforce Principal, Alpine F1, within the workforce principals Press Convention
Photograph by: FIA Pool
Szafnauer agreed that there have been some gray areas in the entire course of: “Undoubtedly some anomalies. And I feel ultimately, once we took our time to have a look at all the foundations, and the way they’re utilized, the appropriate choice was made.”
The FIA has confirmed that its president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has instigated a evaluation of the usage of black and orange flags to oblige drivers with injury to pit.
Szafnauer acknowledged that there was a difficulty, however prompt that the Perez state of affairs in Austin was nearer to the issues that Haas has skilled this yr.
“Effectively, I feel that it needs to be higher outlined, in order that the choices from the FIA are extra constant. And it is not likely, for us.
“I feel the comparability is extra entrance wing endplate to entrance wing endplate. Sergio had his entrance wing endplate come off, and wasn’t proven the black and orange flag. I feel that occurred to Haas earlier than.
“So there’s some inconsistencies there. However what now we have to do is study from these, and sooner or later, begin turning into extra constant, so that everyone is aware of what to anticipate.”
Szafnauer downplayed any suggestion that automobiles with mirror injury or lacking mirrors ought to obtain the black and orange flag.
“All that stuff now we have to outline. I imply, me personally, I’ve raced in 55 open wheel races, and I’ve raced some with out mirrors, or a mirror. And I do not suppose it is that rather more harmful.
“Typically you utilize your mirrors to put your automobile such that the man behind you’ll be able to’t overtake you. And for those who solely have one mirror to do this, you are a bit extra cautious!
“So it isn’t essentially that one mirror is rather more harmful. However my level is, now we have to outline what that hazard is.”
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