Countless perplexing penalties were issued in Doha during the Qatar Grand Prix weekend — and some drivers are already looking for ways to game the system.

It should come as no surprise that the ever-tactical Fernando Alonso is one such driver. After Max Verstappen’s one-place grid penalty, he’s discovered a way to put his rivals on the back foot.

Fernando Alonso plans to ‘push crazy’ on slow laps

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

After qualifying for the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, polesitter Max Verstappen received a very strange penalty.

The offending moment took place in Q3. The Red Bull driver was on a slow lap ahead of his final hot lap of the session when the Mercedes of George Russell came flying up behind him.

However, Russell was also on a slow lap; he was just moving far faster than Verstappen or the other slow-lap cars ahead.

The Mercedes driver took evasive action in order to avoid contact and even went so far as to posit that going through the gravel could have been the reason why he failed to improve in the session.

Overnight, it was announced that the stewards had considered the incident and had determined that Verstappen was at fault. He was given a one-place grid penalty, effectively demoting him from first to second.

More data from the Qatar GP:

👉 How Fernando Alonso’s mirror in 2022 adds even more controversy to 2024 Qatar GP

👉 New Qatar GP data creates fresh Norris controversy over yellow flag deployment

The maneuver left many fans and pundits scratching their heads — but Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso has a particularly compelling plot lined up.

After being asked about the in-race penalties, Alonso admitted to media, including PlanetF1.com, that he felt they were fair. It was Verstappen’s qualifying penalty that seemed strange to him.

“I only read the news that it was a one-place penalty for, I don’t know,” Alonso said. “He was slow, but George was on a slow lap as well.

“So in Abu Dhabi, if I’m in a slow lap, I will push crazy to the car in front to have penalty I guess, if he’s impeding me.”

It was a tongue-in-cheek joke fr0m the Spaniard, but it still centers in on the big concern with Verstappen’s penalty: Setting that precedent allows for a cynical interpretation of the rules. Why not speed up behind a driver you think will out-qualify you, in hopes that he earns a penalty for impeding?

Aside from that, Alonso was very complimentary about the stewarding and race direction.

“I think they have a tough race here,” he admitted.

“They’ve been monitoring F2 and F1 in the same weekend, and they still do a good job,” he said of new race director Rui Marques.

“So it’s only the second race for the race director. So far, I think he’s doing a very good job.”

Read next: Qatar GP driver ratings: Hamilton’s horror show, Zhou’s massive surprise