Alonso unofficially penalized
The paper 20 Seconds suggests that the Spaniard, on a very light fuel load, was penalized by the race being started under the Safety Car and the Safety Car only being withdrawn once the Spaniard had pitted. The double world champion lost out considerably as a result of this, falling from 2nd on the grid to the rear of the pack. He still managed to finish ninth, however.
Speculation surrounds the decision by race director Charlie Whiting to pull the safety car in, the suspicion being that the Safety Car was withdrawn at a time designed to hurt Alonso, with no relevance to conditions. The newspaper goes on to speculate that the Renault team were being punished for team principal Flavio Briatore’s outspoken stance on the FIA "double-deck" diffuser decision, which his team lost.
It is, however, very unlikely that Whiting singled out Alonso for specific punishment on the track. A random penalty of this nature without prior notice would be without precedent. It would not be within the rules, as team penalties must go through the correct channels. A less paranoid explanation for the Spaniard’s difficulties yesterday would be a simple strategic error from the team, who decided to short-fuel the Spanish ace. Renault have fuelled Alonso light before to jump him up the grid in qualifying, even if then his race suffers.