Fernando Alonso hit back at Lewis Hamilton's allegations of brake testing following the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Alonso secured fourth place in the drivers' championship by coming home seventh at the Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday. But he came close to finding himself in hot water with the stewards, who noted the Aston Martin star for an incident involving old rival Hamilton.
The Spaniard was ahead of the Mercedes driver heading into the hairpin at Turn 5. But as he approached the corner, Alonso appeared to slow down, move to the right-side of the track and lift off the throttle, catching Hamilton off-guard.
Alonso stayed ahead of the British star, who accused the Spaniard of foul play over his team radio. Hamilton was heard fuming: "Yeah he just brake tested me. I got brake tested, like way before the braking zone."
The stewards opted to not take any action as they looked into a possible charge of driving erratically. Hamilton would pass Alonso on the following straight, with the Spaniard insisting his move was a tactic in an attempt to stay ahead.
He said: "Lewis is obviously very clever and understands the sport really good and has a lot of experience but I have more. We did the same in Canada in 2012, so 11 years after that episode, we tried to give the DRS to the other guy, braking for Turn 5 but in both cases, I won so it is okay."
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While Hamilton overtook him, Alonso was able to fight back and retake his place. He ultimately finished two positions ahead of the seven-time world champion, who came home in ninth place.
Despite finishing ahead in Abu Dhabi, Alonso finished 28 points and one place behind Hamilton in the driver standings. That left the legendary Spaniard frustrated, having enjoyed a stunning start to the season.
"By lap 16 or something like that we made the first stop and we knew that the race was long from that point. But at the end, the pace was only good for seventh or eighth," the Aston Martin star said.
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"As I said yesterday the lap in qualifying was very good for the position, but the pace was a concern. That’s what we saw today. We were just enough to beat AlphaTauri but that is not enough.
"If you’d told me before this weekend that I’d finish fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, I wouldn’t have believed you, so this is a real gift. I’m really pleased with the way I’ve driven all season – I think this has been my best, most consistent season of driving since 2012.
"I think I got the maximum from the car all season. The whole Aston Martin team has worked incredibly hard. We started this year as an underdog, but we’ll start 2024 very much in the spotlight; we need to be ready for that."