BREAKING: Alonso loses P3 and 100th F1 podium after receiving a 10-second penalty at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso’s delight at his 100th Formula One podium at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix turned sour on Sunday night after he was handed a 10-second post-race time penalty for serving a previous five-second penalty incorrectly .

Alonso jumped from P2 on the grid to the top of the grid at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit – having been promoted to that position by a penalty for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – but was later decided he was off the grid and entered A from five-second time penalty.

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That penalty was served – under a safety car that was pulled out to clear team-mate Lance Stroll’s car, which he was forced to stop on the track – Alonso then drove a determined race to fend off George Russell’s Mercedes and taking what was on paper was his 100th podium in the sport, behind winner Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen’s Red Bulls.

While the cheers of his Aston Martin mechanics still rang out after the podium celebration, the perceptive stewards decided that the rear jack, which was supposed to raise Alonso’s car for the subsequent tire change, made contact with him while he was serving his five-second penalty AMR23 before the five-second penalty was served.

HOW IT HAPPENED: All the action from the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Setting a precedent exactly what happened to Esteban Ocon two weeks ago, the stewards quickly imposed an additional 10 second post-race penalty, relegating Alonso to P4 – giving Russell and Mercedes their first podium finish of the campaign.