The 50-year old Brit practically echoed the unspoken beliefs of everyone in the F1 paddock when referring to Renault's suspension the past weekend. He argued that only bad timing led to the Enstone based team being in this situation, as their mistake came shortly after the Henry Surtees drama in the F2 championship and Felipe Massa's crash the very day before.
During the Hungarian race, the Renault mechanics failed to complete the tire change propersly and sent Alonso back on track with a loose wheel nut, which later led to his front right-hand wheel falling off the R29 and flying around the Hungarian circuit.
A similar incident caused the death of F2 driver Henry Surtees during the Brands Hatch race a weekend before, when a wheel coming from Jack Clarke's car – who had previously crashed into a tire barrier – hit the 19-year old Brit in the head. In Massa's case, a spring coming from Rubens Barrichello's car hit the Brazilian's helmet, causing him to lose consciousness and crash into the tire barrier at the exit of Turn 4.
“The team almost certainly would not have been penalised for the same situation at the previous race,” said Brundle in his BBC column on Monday, referring to the Renault F1 team. “We have seen many cars lose a wheel without retribution,” added the former grand prix driver.
Renault have already announced they will appeal the FIA decision.
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