Fernando Alonso believes Lewis Hamilton should be sent to the back of the grid for using his fifth engine of the season.
In F1, drivers are allowed to use three different engines over the course of the season, and incur sanctions if they go beyond that.
Having already been hit with a 10-place penalty at the Turkish Grand Prix in October after using their fourth engine of the season, Mercedes decided to change the internal combustion unit again ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, which saw Hamilton slapped with a five-grid penalty for the race and a starting position of 10th on the grid.
Fernando Alonso (left) believes Lewis Hamilton (right) should be sent to the back of the grid for using his fifth engine of the season
However, the Brit pulled off one of his best ever drives as he stormed to a victory in Sao Paulo, helping him close the gap to title-rival Max Verstappen.
The added boost in power also saw the Brit comfortably win the first ever Qatar Grand Prix earlier this month, blowing the title race wide open with just two races to go.
But with Hamilton enjoying a new lease of life with his fifth engine, two-time Formula One champion Alonso believes the Mercedes man should be handed a more severe punishment for changing the car’s power unit once again.
‘Those who have exceeded a certain number of engines per year should be sent to the back of the grid,’ Alonso told Spanish outlet AS.
Alonso has echoed Verstappen’s argument that Hamilton’s punishment was illogical, given how the Brit easily cancelled out the grid penalty with the extra power he has gained from the new unit.
Hamilton produced a stunning drive to win the Brazilian GP after his fifth engine change
Hamilton has won two races since changing his engine and has closed the gap to Verstappen
After Hamilton’s stunning win at Interlagos, Verstappen said: ‘In theory Mercedes can put in a new combustion engine every Grand Prix, take five places penalty and benefit from the power boost.’
Verstappen has since seen his championship lead shrink to 14 points after Hamilton’s win in Brazil and then again to just eight points after the Qatar Grand Prix, with the Dutchman finishing second on the podium behind the Mercedes man last time out.
Despite the title race being decided in the last two circuits, Verstappen insists it is a good thing that it’s going down to the wire.
‘We just need to try and stay focused and there are two races to go and as you can see a lot of things can happen. Anything is possible.
‘I feel good. It’s going to be a tight battle to the end. I know it’s going to be difficult to the end, but I think that’s nice – it keeps it exciting.’
Verstappen (left) claimed the penalty given to Hamilton for his engine change was illogical
Hamilton will be hoping his power advantage can carry over into this weekend’s penultimate race in Saudi Arabia, where Verstappen currently holds the single-digit lead.
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff believes the new engine will give Hamilton the added boost needed to beat Verstappen in Saudi Arabia, given the high speed nature of Formula One’s new track.
‘Saudi should be a good track for us, but we know this year when you think it’s a good one it can turn the other way around,’ Wolff told Sky Sports earlier this month.
‘But it’s a long straight, we’ll get our spicy equipment (engine) out for Saudi Arabia that we didn’t use (in Qatar) and hopefully Valtteri (Bottas) is right up there – we need him.
Red Bull’s Verstappen still leads the world championship by eight points with two races left
‘But in any case, if everyone finishes the race it will go to Abu Dhabi.’
If Hamilton for the third race in a row wins in Jeddah in front of Verstappen, and takes the fastest lap, it will ensure that both drivers will head into the last round of the world championship at Yas Marina level on points.
However, Verstappen would still crucially lead the world championship on a count-back of greater number of wins.
The Dutchman even won the season ending race last season, but it has usually been a track favoured by Mercedes.
When asked if Hamilton’s new engine was the best yet, Wolff was bullish about its performance.
Mercedes’ Toto Wolff (centre) believes Hamilton’s (right) new engine will give him the advantage in Saudi Arabia on Sunday
‘Yes, definitely. I think the car is quick on the straight and good around the corners,’ he added.
‘Degradation works fine – even at races in the Middle East and we have two to come of these – on old tyres.
‘I think we have to push maximum attack. We have to catch up, make some points up and that’s just what we are going to do.’
