Formula One: Lauda Backs Alonso Over Penalty

The former formula one world champion Niki Lauda has fuelled the controversy over the decision to penalise Fernando Alonso at Sunday's Italian grand prix. "I simply don't understand it," said Lauda after the stewards ruled that Renault's world champion had deliberately held up Felipe Massa. "I looked at the footage from Massa's Ferrari and you could hardly see Alonso's car in the distance. I'm sure that he did not hold up Massa," he said.

Lauda is worried that the Alonso verdict will set a worrying precedent. "If this case is repeated in the future then it will be crucial for all the competitors to be fully aware where the limits are," he said. "If one car is 90 or 110 metres ahead of another, then what is the limit?"

Meanwhile Flavio Briatore, the Renault team principal, moved yesterday to placate the sport's governing body over his Sunday jibe that the outcome of this year's world championship was being rigged in favour of Ferrari. In a statement claiming that his jesting remarks were taken out of context, Briatore said: "A jokey remark has been turned into something it was not intended to be. I have every confidence in the governance of our sport and look forward to fighting and winning the formula one world championship this season."

But Briatore's driver Alonso repeated his criticisms, which had been dismissed by the FIA president Max Mosley as an "emotional outburst". Alonso said his second qualifying penalty in three races may signal a conspiracy against him. "We have been seeing very, very strange decisions in the last month and I think it is enough," said Alonso. "The sport has to become the priority again in formula one. It is not a priority. It is a shame because I think the people don't enjoy it, we don't enjoy, the team don't enjoy and all the drivers are a little bit surprised."

The FIA, however, stressed that the stewards were not suggesting that Alonso deliberately held up Massa up in the way that Michael Schumacher skidded to a halt during Monaco qualifying in an effort to ruin the Spaniard's bid for pole position.