Did a Startline Chop Lose Alonso the Title?

[TrapezeArtist]

We've seen a few unpleasant chops at the start of GPs this year.

Before the start in Abu Dhabi, we heard Alonso's team radio advise him to drive straight off the line for better traction. For several tenths of a second he appeared to heed the advice, until he saw Button gaining ground. Then the "chopper's instinct" kicked in and he moved over (not the most aggressive chop I've ever seen but clearly aimed to put JB off his stroke). Button was having none of it and Alonso jerked back to the right. It's at that instant that we see Button gain a significant amount of ground on Alonso.

Perhaps if Alonso had started straight, he would have got cleaner tarmac and better traction and might just have out-fumbled Button in the first corner. In which case the whole race would have turned out to be very different.

Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong, in this case. But I've been looking forward for a long time to seeing a driver get his come-uppance for a move like that. I'll get a little crumb of comfort from the thought that a fairly innocuous chop by the standards of some came with one of the biggest penalties possible. I wonder if Fernando will be thinking of that during the winter too.