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Krack: Alonso "would never put anyone in harm's way" in wake of Australia F1 penalty

Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack says Fernando Alonso "would never put anyone in harm's way" in the wake of his penalty in Formula 1's Australian Grand Prix for "potentially dangerous driving".

Alonso was handed a post-race drive-through, which was converted into a 20-second penalty, for erratic and potentially dangerous driving in the closing stages of the race at Melbourne's Albert Park.

While duelling with Mercedes driver George Russell, Alonso lifted much earlier in the run up to Turn 6 to get a better exit onto the following DRS straight as he battled to stay ahead against the quicker Mercedes.

Russell was caught out by Alonso's tactic and crashed off in the Aston Martin's dirty air.

Alonso's penalty demoted him from sixth to eighth, which the Spaniard slammed as "disappointing" as "at no point do we want to do anything wrong at these speeds".

Speaking for the first time since the incident, team principal Krack fully backed his driver, saying Alonso "would never put anyone in harm's way".

"Firstly, in motorsport everyone is relieved that George was okay and walked away after his accident," Krack wrote in a statement shared on Aston's social media channels.

"I want you to know that we fully support Fernando. He is the most experienced driver in Formula 1. He has competed in more grands prix than anyone else and has more than 20 years of experience. He is a multiple world champion in multiple categories.

"Fernando is a phenomenal racer and he was using every tool in his toolbox to finish ahead of George - just like we saw in Brazil last year with Sergio [Perez]. This is the art of motorsport at the highest level. He would never put anyone in harm's way."

Source: Autosport

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