FIA Told Ferrari to Let Kubica Pass Alonso 3 Times

Ferrari have no reason to be upset with the penalty handed to Fernando Alonso in the British Grand Prix. If anything, it should be the 2-time world champion who should have a problem with how his team handled the situation that appeared on the track midway through the race, when the Spaniard short-cut a chicane in order to overtake Renault's Robert Kubica.

According to the FIA race director Charlie Whiting, Ferrari were immediately advised by him to ask Alonso to let Kubica re-pass him in order to avoid a drive-through penalty not once, not twice, but three times.

“We told Ferrari three times that in my opinion they should give the position back to Kubica. And we told them that immediately, right after the overtaking manoeuvre. On the radio, I suggested to them that if they exchange position again, there would be no need for the stewards to intervene,” said Whiting.

“But they didn't do that and on the third communication they said that Kubica was by then too far back to let him regain the position. It's not true at all that the stewards took too long to decide. For us the facts were clear immediately: Alonso had gained an advantage by cutting the track.”

Ferrari's team boss Stefano Domenicali doesn't share that opinion however, insisting that the very first time he was advised to tell Alonso to let the Pole pass him, the Spaniard was already too far ahead. Later on, the Renault driver retired from the race with mechanical problems, so the whole re-pass thing became useless.

“As soon as we received the information that in the opinion of the stewards, Fernando should have given back the position to Robert, Robert was already very far behind and Robert was really slowing down because he had a problem,” said Domenicali.