Formula 1 world champions Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso are approaching a breaking point in this 2024 F1 season.
The 2024 Formula 1 season takes a critical turn for Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso, the two drivers with the most penalty points this year. Alonso, with 8 points, and Verstappen, with 7, find themselves dangerously close to suspension.
In F1, reaching 12 penalty points in a 12-month period automatically results in exclusion from the following race, a rule aimed at regulating safety but which today puts considerable pressure on the two stars.
Offenses that accumulate
For Max Verstappen, the penalty points are the result of several notable incidents. He was penalized for forcing Charles Leclerc off track during the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, for a collision with Lando Norris in Austria, and most recently for failing to comply with the rules under a virtual safety car period at Brazil.
Alonso, meanwhile, has accumulated his points only this season: three for a questionable braking on George Russell in Australia, three others for a collision with Carlos Sainz in China, and two for an incident with Guanyu Zhou in Austria. Between them, they embody a risky driving style that now borders on the ultimate sanction.
Pilots denounce bias?
Verstappen and Alonso were quick to question the fairness of the sanctions, suggesting that factors like nationality could influence the FIA's decisions.
Verstappen, angered by repeated criticism of his clashes with Norris, told a press conference at the recent Brazilian Grand Prix that he had “the wrong passport”a clear dig at the regulatory body.
Alonso bitterly remembers 2007, the year of his clash with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren, saying that
“Hamilton has destroyed the careers of several drivers without ever being worried, all because he is not Spanish.”
Respect and rivalry: a fragile balance
Despite the intense competition, Verstappen and Alonso share a mutual respect and admiration for their fighting spirit. Alonso recently praised Verstappen's performance in Brazil, a rare but heartfelt gesture of camaraderie.
These two drivers, with their aggressive style, seem to feel the same feeling of injustice in the face of the standards of an FIA which they perceive as biased towards British drivers and not very understanding of their approach to the sport.
A suspension that could turn everything upside down
If Alonso or Verstappen reached the 12-point penalty threshold, they would be sidelined from a race, a blow for Aston Martin and Red Bull, who are counting on their talents for the decisive final rounds of the season.
For Verstappen, in particular, a suspension would be an extremely rare event, and criticism of supposed favoritism from the FIA would only fuel the controversy.
