Raikkonen and Alonso cleared by stewards over crash

2015 Austrian Grand Prix

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No action will be taken over the crash which eliminated Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso on the first lap of the Austrian Grand Prix.

Alonso blamed Raikkonen for the contact but the stewards ruled “no driver was at fault”.

The Ferrari and McLaren driver collided at the exit of turn two. The pair spun into a barrier and the resulting impact left Alonso’s car perched on top of Raikkonen’s.

“I don’t know exactly what happened before the crash,” said Raikkonen. “I had some wheelspin in an unusual place. I was at a quite high speed, suddenly went left and end up there.”

2015 Austrian Grand Prix

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    Keith Collantine
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    36 comments on “Raikkonen and Alonso cleared by stewards over crash”

    1. So Kimi didn’t crash on his own? or that those type of mistakes don’t warrant a penalty?

      1. @ivan-vinitskyy, although Kimi was responsible in this instance for the crash due to spinning up the rear wheels and losing control of the car, in this situation the stewards appear to believe that there are enough extenuating circumstances (being on cold tyres and at the start of the race when there are multiple drivers in extremely close formation) to classify the situation as a racing incident.

    2. Raikkonen has gotten away too many times with causing incidents that ruined other people’s races.

      1. Show me Fernando’s onboard biggsy. Anyhow to be fair to both, none would’ve been able to detect a very small touch between both cars, not even the onboard would suffice. Obviously whatever caused this accident isn’t obvious.

        1. kimi himself said he had wheel spin and lost the car

      2. I don’t think this one was particularly bad (it’s easy to lose it when accelerating, especially in a Ferrari), but his antics at Silverstone last year were appalling.

    3. Was it due to lack of video evidence?

    4. Hmmm, pure mistake by Kimi and ended his race so quite right not to penalise him IMO.

      Ferrari must be unimpressed though.

      1. I largely agree with you, but in Monaco Alonso “lost” the car while up the inside of Hulkenberg and got a 5-sec penalty for it. There seems to be some inconsistency creeping in from the stewards.

        1. They could give Kimi a 5 day penalty if you like, what difference will it make?
          They don’t even have a 1st lap time to add it to lol.

        2. I would postulate that Alonso got his penalty because he was the aggressor and had knowledge of Hulkenberg’s position prior to the contact. Raikkonen on the other hand was in the process of being attacked and had no knowledge of Alonso’s.

        3. I guess the difference @sharoncom is that Alonso was making a move at the time; and a move where they can’t control the car is pretty much by definition ‘too aggressive’.

        4. Alonso didn’t lose the car in monaco, he had nowhere to go so the penalty was very odd. However this incident was clearly a racing incident as Kimi was not being wreckless. It is fair that he didn’t get a penalty.

      2. @lockup the fact he did not gain an advantage is absolutely irrelevant.

    5. I’m sure Kimi believes this business of the car suddenly snapping sideways through a power surge or something. It would seem more likey, however, if it happened to Vettel too occasionally. Even once would help…

    6. He doesn’t know why he qualified so badly, he doesn’t know why he crashed… Doesn’t know much does he, old Kimi…

      1. You know nothing, Kimi..
        (sorry… I had to)
        ForTheWatch!

    7. It was lucky it wasn’t far more serious. I am surprised that no comment has been made about Alonso’s car being initially crushed into the end of the ‘crash’ barrier by Kimi’s car, there should not be gaps in the crash barrier on the outside of bends

    8. It would have been a different story had it been Perez, Grosjean or Maldonado. ..

      1. Or Verstappen

    9. Zoomed crash. Nasty hit by Alonso
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnQQzRs0nJc

      1. This only confirms he lost control by himself again.
        Alonso’s car show no damage and he is going for the overtake when he is hit by out of control Kimi.

        IF the contact was made first Alonso wouldn’t be trying to overtake.

    10. Are there some video of the accident from Alonso´s onboard camera?

      1. Yes, the lack of video from the McLaren is surprising.

        1. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
          22nd June 2015, 12:57

          Indeed – Raikonnen loses it just as Alonso is going around almost as if he was fishtailed in sorts. However, Alonso is very careful and rarely the instigator of accidents. Bottomline both guys nearly lost their lives and neither had motive or tried anything crazy.

      2. Nope. Maybe we’ll get someting on the F1 2015 DVD in December …

      3. @jorge-lardone It really really made me so annoyed that FOM kept showing Kimi’s onboard but not Alonso’s. Why just why??!!!

      4. @jorge-lardone @drycrust @strontium for what it’s worth there is another view of the crash in the post from @cuesta just below.

    11. This was good news for Alonso, put him out his misery early it was the only humane thing to do. Also whilst stuck on the nose of a Ferrari the McLaren car travelled faster than it ever has down a straight. Must of made Alonso all happy for a while travelling under mighty Ferrari power again instead of the back of the grid minnows he now drives for. He is going full circle starting at Minardi then reaching the heights of the sport then back into a back marker team.

      Seriously though I always wonder about freak accidents like this and wonder about the rubbish protection at points of the track incidents are not expected, I had a horrible thought of the Cervet Watkins Glenn crash had Alonso’s car ended upside down sliding along the barrier.

    12. Another view of the accident by a spectator:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV9nAIVuLEU

      1. Thanks for the link!

    13. Nathan (@il-ferrarista)
      22nd June 2015, 0:28

      Get Raikkonen the he** out of Ferrari, it’s becoming enough by now. He is/was driving way too much on a GP2-level, all year long except Bahrain.

      He’s too bored, he’s not at least too slow(!!, yes the flying finn is too slow), and he’s too unfocused as mentioned by others further up here in the comments thread. Let’s welcome the Hulk into the Scuderia.

    14. I really hoped I would not say this, being an ardent “Iceman” follower, but I think his time is up. At least, Ferrari has given him up. Arrivabene has been talking “We have to trust Kimi’s words for this incident” meaning he doesn’t. Last two races have been really bad for him. I always hoped after all Practice sessions, “Man! he’s fast here. He really got a chance to get row 2.” But disappointed always. There may be a hundred reasons why he could not nail it, but fact is he is not the Kimi we now. He is not the speed demon now. Maybe he may get contract till 2016 but that’s only 10% probable. So all Iceman followers, this may be well be his last season.

    15. Why is Kimi’s Ferrari always collecting his former Ferrari team mate? First Massa in 2014 British GP and now Alonso. Luckily, there are no other former Ferrari team mates left unless Vettel leaves Ferrari this year and Kimi remains there. In such a case, I guess we can expect a RAI-VET crash in 2016 :)

    16. I am not an Alonso fan. Not even close but this “he blamed Raikkonen” seems a bit silly thing to write.
      He didn’t blame him. He simply said what happened. Basically that Kimi lost the car and went left and collected him since he was at his left.
      Raikkonen said the same since that is what happened. Did Kimi tried to blame himself?

      The steward decision wasn’t a disagreement with Alonso. They just think no one should get a penalty about it.

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