The Alpine driver was upset by three track-related incidents during Sunday’s race at the Circuit of the Americas involving Alfa Romeo duo Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi.
Alonso believed Raikkonen got away with an “illegal” pass on him at the start of the race at Turn 1 after the pair made contact at the corner exit, forcing Raikkonen to run completely off the track before holding his position could.
The stewards took note of the incident but decided that no further investigation was required.
The two-time world champion later drove off the track on four wheels to overtake Giovinazzi before relinquishing the place on instructions from his team. Giovinazzi was also later asked to do the same in an almost identical incident.
Alonso ventured over the team radio, claiming after the race that “the rules are a bit random,” adding that fans on the circuit “saw a show they didn’t deserve”.
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In a later media call, the Spaniard, who eventually retired with rear wing damage, explained why he was baffled.
“Of course it’s your choice so we have to accept it,” said Alonso.
“I don’t know if you saw the whole race, but it was the same incident on lap one, Lando [Norris] overtaken inside in turn 12 [Carlos] Sainz – Sainz went off the track, took the position again and it was okay (he had to give up the place later).
“And then, in the last part of the race, when I overtook Giovinazzi for the second time, I brake inside at Turn 12. Again I ‘forced’ him off the track. He regained the position off the track and this time he has to give the position back to me.
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“In a way, you always force a guy to stray off the track when you brake inside. You undertake to overtake. And they are outside – they have to decide whether to back off or go full throttle off the track, off the track.
“Sainz did it, Giovinazzi did it, I did it. We have to give up the position because you’re going full throttle off the track. But Kimi didn’t. So I thought it was inconsistent.
“I lost about 10 seconds doing all of these things and obviously the point opportunities were gone. But I mean, I’m not too mad because it’s just a point. And then we’ll have the rear wing failure anyway, so it probably didn’t change our race. So that’s not a problem. “
It was the last time Alonso complained about the consistency of this year’s F1 controls. He struck in F1 because he had “different rules for different drivers” after his run through the runoff in the first round of the Russian Grand Prix was put to the test.
FIA Race Director Michael Masi confirmed that a discussion about the “marginal” call for overtaking by Raikkonen will take place at the next driver briefing.
“I can understand him [Alonso’s] Frustration, ”said Masi. “I didn’t hear his frustration, but I can understand it.
“The call regarding him and Kimi in Turn 1 was certainly marginal. And something that we will discuss with all drivers at the next driver meeting.
“I think there were two parts to the story, obviously overtaking and turning off the track. And then the subsequent element of overtaking.
“We will discuss this as a group at the next meeting.”
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