Alonso celebrates coming third in Jeddah. Reuters

Spanish driver Fernando Alonso claims 100th career podium finish in controversial circumstances

The Aston Martin driver came third in the Saudi Arabian GP but dropped to fourth after receiving a penalty that was later rescinded

David Sánchez de Castro

Monday, 20 March 2023, 14:12 | Updated 15:19h.

It was certainly a moment to remember for Fernando Alonso, who eventually claimed his 100th career podium at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday after a drama-filled few hours of reviews from race organisers.

The third-place finish for the Aston Martin driver at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, behind Red Bull's Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen, was thrown into doubt after the Spaniard had already appeared on the podium.

After the customary champagne moment, organisers decided to give Alonso a 10-second penalty which moved him into fourth place behind George Russell of Mercedes.

Controversy

A five-second penalty had already been dished out to Alonso for being out of position at the start of the race, but that was increased after video footage showed that a mechanic, the one with the rear hydraulic jack, had touched the car before permitted to do so.

The Aston Martin team appealed the decision and eventually, after midnight, the FIA agreed that touching the car didn't constitute working on the car and Alonso was reinstated to the podium.

Back-to-back third-placed finishes

Alonso's good start to the 2023 Formula One season continues.

This is now the 41-year-old's second third-placed finish in a row, after matching his solid performance in Bahrain two weeks previously.