F1 Rumour: Fernando Alonso P4 After Penalties Applied Post Race To Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz

It looks like a number of drivers will get (additional) penalties following the end of the Austrian GP.

In the wake of a formal complaint filed by Aston Martin, potential repercussions loom on the horizon following the conclusion of the Austrian Grand Prix. And now, from sources on the track, it's rumoured that Fernando Alonso will move up to at least P4 as a number of drivers receive penalties for track limits.

According to an official communication from the FIA, a crucial meeting is taking place at 6:30 PM local time in response to a complaint raised by the Milton Keynes team after the race.

Now, Matthew Thompson, a freelance F1 journalist, has posted to Twitter to reveal that Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz will receive penalties that will allow Fernando Alonso to reach P4. 

"Fernando Alonso will be at least P4," he posted. "There will be track limits penalties for Norris and Sainz. And it remains to be seen how many times Perez infringed the track limits. Possible podium for Fernando? We'll see."

💣🚨BREAKING🟢

Fernando Alonso will be at least P4. There will be track limits penalties for Norris and Sainz.

And it remains to be seen how many times Perez infringed the track limits.

Possible podium for Fernando? We'll see. #AustrianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/MKyVjyOoIt

— Matthew J. Thompson🇬🇧 (@realMJThompson) July 2, 2023

According to the FIA, over 100 lap times were deleted during today's Grand Prix, but with Aston Martin pushing for more precision in the punishments given out, it sounds as though there could be many more penalties dished out after the race end. 

Currently, the results are as follows:

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
3. Sergio Perez, Red Bull
4. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
5. Lando Norris, McLaren
6. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
7. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
8. George Russell, Mercedes
9. Pierre Gasly, Alpine
10. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
11. Alex Albon, Williams
12. Esteban Ocon, Alpine
13. Logan Sargeant, Williams
14. Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo
15. Nyck de Vries, AlphaTauri
16. Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
17. Oscar Piastri, McLaren
18. Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri
19. Kevin Magnussen, Haas
20. Nico Hulkenberg, Haas (DNF)

And the penalties confirmed so far:

• Nyck de Vries - 5 seconds for forcing Kevin Magnussen off.
• Lewis Hamilton - 5 seconds for exceeding track limits.
• Yuki Tsunoda - 10 seconds for exceeding track limits (two 5 second penalties)
• Carlos Sainz - 5 seconds for exceeding track limits.
• Alex Albon - 5 seconds for exceeding track limits.
• Esteban Ocon - 5 seconds for an unsafe release in the pit lane.
• Logan Sargeant - 5 seconds for exceeding track limits.
• Pierre Gasly - 5 seconds for exceeding track limits.
• Kevin Magnussen - 5 seconds for exceeding track limits.

Following Aston Martin's complaint, the FIA released the following document explaining the protest:

"A protest has been lodged by Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team against the provisional classification.

"The protest claims that a number of cars were not penalized for a breach of Article 33.3 of the Sporting Regulations.

"A hearing will be conducted at 1830 hrs.

"In the meantime, the Stewards, having become aware of the existence of a number of deleted laps (due to exceeding track limits) that were drawn to our attention after the receipt of the protest, have requested Race Control to perform a reconciliation of all deleted laps with penalties applied.

"We note that Race Control dealt with in excess of 100 deleted laps during the race."

We'll be following this closely and will update when we know more.