Footage has emerged of an enraged Fernando Alonso throwing his jacket to the ground during a heated argument with race officials at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Aston Martin driver ultimately finished seventh at the Hungaroring on Sunday, leaving him frustrated as he felt his efforts were unfairly thwarted in the final stages of qualifying.
Alonso was on a flying lap towards the end of Q3 when a horrific crash involving Yuki Tsunoda brought out the red flag.
The controversial decision prevented several drivers, including the 42-year-old, from completing the final laps before Sunday’s race.
Following the incident, Alonso voiced his dissatisfaction with the decision and videos shared on social media showed him protesting to the umpire after the incident.
After a dramatic crash involving Yuki Tsunoda in Q3 brought out the red flag, Alonso was one of several drivers mistakenly sent to ‘parc ferme’ by race officials, ending the session prematurely.
The footage shows Alonso throwing his jacket and cap to the ground, then quickly picking them up and an Aston Martin team member handing him the helmet.
The incident sparked controversy among fans on social media, with some criticising his behaviour as “unprofessional”.
One person wrote: “This is really disrespectful and unacceptable.”
Another added: “It’s unprofessional behaviour for someone like Alonso.”
A third fan wrote: “I would leave it on the floor, I would never pick up clothes that a toddler throws in a tantrum!”
After the red flag was shown, Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll were mistakenly sent into ‘parc ferme’ by officials.
However, although there was still enough time for one more lap, the rain in Budapest had by now intensified, making it difficult for any driver to improve on their time.
After the incident, Alonso expressed his dissatisfaction with those involved, claiming that the FIA had made “serious errors” during qualifying.
Fans took to social media to share their opinions after footage of Alonso’s rage was posted online.
“The truth is that sometimes the FIA makes the right decisions, but sometimes they make big mistakes,” Alonso told DAZN. “Today the FIA made a mistake.”
“When an accident happens there, it’s surprising because they usually wait until the car has completed a lap. At least, that’s the unspoken rule.”
“By the time the red flag came out at the last corner, I had lost 1.5 seconds.”
