FERNANDO ALONSO and Lance Stroll were involved in a horror 180mph crash during last night’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
During Lap 22 of the race, not long after a safety car restart, veteran Alonso attempted to get by his future Aston Martin team-mate.
As he did so he made contact with Stroll’s rear, sending the Canadian spinning and ending his race.
Alonso’s Alpine, meanwhile, nearly propelled into the air, its front two wheels airborne as the Spaniard wrestled for control of his car as it did a wheelie down the track.
Luckily his rear wheels remained on the track and he was somehow able to continue the race.
Following Alonso’s initial seventh place finish, he and Stroll were called into the steward’s office to review the incident – with the latter deemed to be at fault.
The 23-year-old was subsequently slapped with a three-place grid drop for the Mexican Grand Prix next week, after what Alonso described as a “very late move”.
Stroll has also received two penalty points on his license.
After the race, he said: “I looked at it. I mean, first of all, I think itâs a shame, we were having a good race. I left him plenty of room on the left.
“It was a big difference in speed. I was kind of judging where he was behind me and I moved based on where I thought he was behind me.
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“But he got really close to me and we just made contact, so [itâs] frustrating.”
Meanwhile, Alonso said: “Five minutes ago, I was fine, now Iâm in a little bit of pain, so Iâll have to wait until tomorrow probably to really see.
“But the car is very strong again. Whoever has a problem with Alpine normally has everything to lose!
“We have a very strong car and we changed tyres, the front wing, and kept going.
“It was amazing that the car managed to complete the 31 laps until the end and we still finished P7 after being P17, so it was a good race.
“It was scary in the car, because when you are up in the air, anything can happen. When I saw that I landed on the track, I said, âOkay, I will retire the car now and thatâs it for today.â But no, change tyres, front wing â go!”
After the race, Alonso’s P7 finish was downgraded to P15 after he received a 30-second penalty when it was deemed that his car had been “sent back out on track in an unsafe condition.”
Later in the race, his wing mirror fell off as his battered car struggled to remain in one piece.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen picked up his record-equalling 13th GP win of the season.
Lewis Hamilton led for a number laps, until finally being caught by the Dutchman in his speedier Red Bull with six remaining.
