Alonso not backing down in F1 criticism

Although his controversial comments about the state of Grand Prix racing were viewed by FIA president Max Mosley as simply a heat of the moment emotional outburst following his qualifying penalty for blocking Felipe Massa, the Renault driver has subsequently reiterated his comments.

He thinks that with the ban on Renault's mass damper system and his second grid penalty in three races, that there may be forces at work to deliberately conspire against him.

"I feel the same," said Alonso after the race about F1 not being a sport anymore. "We have been seeing very, very strange decisions in the last month and I think it is enough.

"The sport has to become the priority again in F1. It is not a priority. The main one goes on other things.

"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."

Alonso's boss Flavio Briatore has also been critical of the decision-making process in F1 - although he tried to distance himself on Sunday night from remarks made on Italian television that compared what was going on in the sport to the Italian football scandal.

Even so, in his official quote in the Renault post-race press release, Briatore made it clear that not all was even-handed.

"The problem comes when it is not just the sport that influences the outcome of races and championships," he said.

The FIA are investigating Briatore's remarks to see whether there is any question of him bringing the sport into disrepute.