Shortly after the Sunday race, Alonso hit out at the FIA stewards for handing Lewis Hamilton – who had passed the safety car on the track – a drive-through penalty too late in the race. As a consequence of the FIA stewards' slow thinking, Ham managed to retain his 2nd place in the race at the finish line, while Alonso – who was in 3rd place before the SC – eventually finished in 4th place.
Ferrari also released a statement after the race, in which it calls out the scandalous European Grand Prix. That was followed by a public stance taken by Ferrari's vice-president Piero Ferrari, who admitted his disappointment over what happened on Sunday. Furthermore, Ferrari's boss Luca di Montezemolo warned that the events in Valencia could lead to a negative image of the sport.
During Max Mosley's mandate, such outbursts directed at the ruling body were severely sanctioned. However, according to some sources, the nowadays FIA plans to be more accepting over such “comments.”
Nevertheless, British daily The Guardian reported that several FIA officials are infuriated with Ferrari over their aggressive stance. Whether this will have a direct effect on how the championship will unfold in the near future, one can only wait and see. From past experiences, however, we tend to agree on the fact that messing with the FIA can be tricky, especially in a championship where the top teams are so even (more or less).
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