The Miami GP 2024 is over, and Red Bull-Verstappen’s domination at Hard Rock Stadium has ended. Miami GP, known for its vibrant atmosphere and challenging circuit, saw a new hero emerge to get the checkered Flag. Lando Norris, McLaren’s young and fierce driver, won his first F1 title, defeating the reigning world champion by 7 seconds.
The Grand Prix in Florida has its share of frustrating moments for the drivers. Since the track surface differed from Shanghai, it became the site of several crashes on both Saturday and Sunday. However, the Hamilton-Alonso crash spurred some controversies. The Aston Martin driver, Fernando Alonso, was visibly frustrated with the FIA’s decision after a collision with Hamilton. Meanwhile, the FIA has revealed the real reason behind Hamilton’s clearance after the infamous crash.
Alonso Disappointed By FIA’s Verdict, Calls It ‘Biased’
A crash hindered the start of the Miami GP sprint at the first corner. Lewis Hamilton, who was four places behind Alonso, came at a high speed in an attempt to go ahead. However, in the process, he made contact with Alonso’s Aston Martin, initiating a series of chain reactions. Multiple drivers were affected by the incident, and Alonso was understandably fuming. Alonso described Hamilton’s move as ‘approaching like a bull.’ Further, the collision damaged the F1 cars of Lance Stroll and Lando Norris. Since the damage was substantial, both drivers had to retire early during the sprint. Later, when FIA’s stewards gave a clean chit to the Briton, Alonso was livid, labeling the decision ‘Biased.’ He further expressed his disappointment with the authorities as he feels they might be handing out penalties based on nationality. Therefore, the Spaniard believes the two penalties served to him last month are due to his ethnicity.
On the other hand, the FIA released an official statement clearing all the doubts. The stewards re-viewed the in-car and track videos, and from the evidence, it was clear that cars 14, 18, 44, and 4 (Alonso, Stroll, Hamilton, and Norris) made contact with each other, resulting in a crash. While the video proved that there were three collisions, it wasn’t predominantly due to a single driver’s mistake. Moreover, since the crash was on the first corner, where racers try to gather pace, thus no further action was required.
Carlos Sainz Gets A Five Second Penalty- Miami GP Final Standings
The crashes and penalties were not limited to the exhilarating sprint. Carlos Sainz was not as lucky as Hamilton during the Sunday race, as he received a five-second penalty. Consequently, he was pushed back to the fifth spot in the final standing. In an ambitious attempt to overtake McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, the Ferrari driver made a blunder. His car contacted Piastri’s, damaging the front wing.
Moreover, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen had to serve a ten-second penalty for impeaching two FIA regulations. First, he was involved in a crash with Williams’ rookie, Logan Sargeant. Second, he entered the pit without changing the tires, violating the FIA’s race regulations. Therefore, the race stewards were vigilant throughout the Miami Grand Prix.
