Alonso accuses FIA race stewards in Miami of incompetence

MONTMELÓ, Spain (AP) — Two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso slammed the FIA on Friday at his home grand prix, accusing race stewards of incompetence and saying one of the directors lacks the professionalism for the role.

The Spaniard was infuriated two weeks ago at the Miami Grand Prix after he was penalized late in the race while running in contention to score points. Alonso claimed Friday at the Spanish Grand Prix that his Alpine team submitted evidence to have his penalty overturned, but the stewards had already made their decision and were done working for the day.

“We believe that it was very unfair and it was just incompetence from the stewards — they were not very professional,” Alonso said. “We arrived after the race with all the proof ... and they were just packing up. They were not even in the room. We showed them all the data, they said, ‘Give us five minutes,’ and then they found themselves with their hands tied, probably because they issued already the penalty and they didn’t know how to get back from that document.

“It is something that should not happen in Formula One, with professionalism and standards Formula One has right now.”

Alonso was twice penalized in Miami, but Alpine protested the late punishment he was handed for leaving the track and gaining position. The team insists he gave back the time gained and had data to prove its claim.

Alonso's criticism comes amid tension between race management done by FIA, the governing body for F1, and teams that stems from last season's finale in Abu Dhabi. The championship was controversially won by Max Verstappen following a sequence of events set in motion by then-race director Michael Masi.

Masi broke from protocol following a late caution and made