JOLYON PALMER’S ANALYSIS: Did Alonso cause Russell’s crash in Melbourne – and was his penalty fair?

Fernando Alonso and George Russell’s race days both ultimately ended in tears out in Australia, the latter ending up in the wall on the penultimate lap while the former was slapped with a 20-second penalty for his part in the incident.

The stewards in Melbourne deemed the Aston Martin driver’s approach to Turn 6 was “potentially dangerous” prior to Russell crashing out – and his penalty dropped him from P6 to P8 in the eventual race results. But was that judgement fair?

EXPLAINED: He made no contact with Russell – so why did Alonso cop a 20-second penalty for his part in the crash?

In the video above, former F1 driver and F1 TV analyst Jolyon Palmer delves into the dramatic incident in the closing stages of the Australian Grand Prix in a bid to answer two questions: Was Alonso’s driving dangerous and erratic? And was it the cause of Russell’s crash?

Palmer also delves into the past to look back at a similar incident between Alonso and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Hit play on the video above to watch Palmer’s in-depth analysis on the incident – and see if you agree with his conclusions...