The Sprint Race in Miami saw Fernando Alonso involved in a controversial incident in the opening lap involving Lewis Hamilton, Lance Stroll, and Lando Norris. After investigation, the Stewards decided to take no further action. While the Aston Martins and Lando Norris were out of the points due to this incident, Lewis Hamilton managed to finish 8th to score a point.
After the race, Alonso felt that Lewis was at fault for that incident, and called out the Stewards for being biased for not giving the British driver a penalty. He will be meeting with the FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem to discuss this matter. Here’s what he said after the race:
“I do feel that nationality matters, and I will speak with Mohammed [Ben Sulayem], with the FIA, whatever,” he told reporters in Miami.
“I need to make sure there is not anything wrong with my nationality or anything that can influence any decision – not only for me but also for the future generation of Spanish drivers. They need to be protected.”
He stated that British drivers have a lot of preferences in this sport. Most of the race Stewards are British at the moment. However, we have seen the Stewards be a bit harsh to Hamilton and other British drivers in the past. But who was to blame for the opening lap incident during the 2024 Miami Sprint Race?
Was Fernando Alonso right to blame Lewis Hamilton?
As the lights went out to start the Sprint Race in Miami, Lewis Hamilton saw an opening on the inside of Fernando Alonso. As any driver would he took that gap. Alonso saw Lewis coming in that lane and took the necessary steps to avoid contact.
However, Lance Stroll who was on the outside of Alonso did not expect this to happen. He started to turn for the first corner a bit earlier than Alonso and ended up getting hit. As soon as he hit Alonso, he bounced off and was sent towards the side of Lando Norris.
It was ALL happening at the start 👀🍿#F1Sprint #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/2CXfV8FZ3R
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 4, 2024
Although Alonso seems to think that Hamilton was at fault for the incident, it looks as though it was Stroll who decided to turn early and gave Alonso nowhere to go. But given that Lance is Alonso’s teammate, the Spaniard did not want to blame him for the incident.
Judging by Alonso’s onboard camera, he looks at his right mirror a couple of times and expects Hamilton to take the dive on the inside. But the contact between Stroll and Alonso occurred before Hamilton was not even close to the Aston Martins.
So is Alonso right to blame Hamilton for this incident? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
Rohit Kumar 
Sara Chavan