''I can no longer call it a sport'' - AlonsoReigning World Champion
Fernando Alonso said Sunday he no longer considered Formula One a sport after being dropped to tenth place on the starting grid.
The Renault driver was demoted from fifth after race Stewards blamed him
for an incident in the final stages of Saturday's dramatic qualifying session. Championship leader Alonso was ruled to have blocked Ferrari's Brazilian driver Felipe Massa.
The Spaniard complained before the start of the Italian Grand Prix: "I like Formula One but after what happened I can no longer call it a sport."
Renault were so incensed by what they see as an injustice that they showed video footage of the incident to reporters.
Alonso added: "If that's what they call blocking, then how are we supposed to drive these days ... if that's the minimum distance?"
The FIA said after qualifying that Alonso had been at fault, blocking Massa after the Brazilian had caught up with him.
But despite scrapping his best three qualifying times the FIA admitted that Alonso had not deliberately been at fault.
Alonso endured a difficult problem-hit session in which he suffered a high-speed puncture and tyre blow-out. Alonso said before Saturday's hearing that he did not believe that Massa had any reason to complain.
"There is nothing to say. Massa complained about me blocking his lap. I did my out lap to the maximum, but I didn't block anyone. He was 300 to 400 metres behind me so he got a better tow off me. There should be no complaint..."
Source AFP
