Fernando Alonso received a penalty of 20 seconds during the Australian GP. The crash that occurred on the penultimate lap of the race initially seemed ridiculous to many fans. However, upon further investigation, it was discovered that the crash was a result of a controversial decision made by the stewards. One of the stewards involved in this decision was a former F1 driver who surprisingly faced numerous death threats after penalizing Alonso.
Johnny Herbert and Fernando Alonso have had a history of feuds in the past. Herbert had advised Alonso to leave the sport when he used to criticize the engines. In response, Alonso fired back at Herbert, stating that he did not see a future for himself as a commentator like Herbert. As a result, fans made connections between these incidents and the penalty Alonso received in Australia.
However, the 59-year-old Herbert denied these claims and revealed the extent of the repercussions he faced after the race. He shared that the consequences of his decision lasted for approximately two weeks, during which he received comments and messages from fans containing dagger emojis and death threats. The majority of these messages came from Spanish fans who looked down upon Herbert because he had never been a world champion and believed he had made a disgraceful decision.
While Herbert claimed that these messages did not affect him much, there were concerns about the potential danger to his security due to comments about his whereabouts. He expressed disappointment in the attitude of these individuals and how they carry on with their daily lives.
Additionally, Herbert stated that Alonso would have been ashamed to know how his fans had mistreated him. He emphasized that these people are not true fans and highlighted that similar threats have been directed towards other drivers in the world of F1, such as in the title-deciding race in 2021.
In other news, the F1 circus will be returning to Miami next month in May. Despite the threats he received, Herbert has not ruled out the possibility of being a steward at the race. He asserted that he is not afraid of these messages and will continue to carry out his work with utmost honesty.