Austin F1 protest drew ‘line in the sand’ for black and orange flag

Alonso initially lost his seventh-place finish in the United States Grand Prix after Haas successfully lodged a protest claiming his car was unsafe due to a missing rear view mirror, caused by the crash with Lance Stroll.

The resulting 30-second penalty dropped the Spaniard to 15th, but Alpine lodged a counter-protest on the grounds Haas had submitted its initial protest too late.

The stewards ultimately ruled in Alpine’s favour, ensuring Alonso regained P7 in…