Motorsports
Alonso: “Outdated F1 qualifying tests, worst moment of three days”
Fernando Alonso was visibly upset after qualifying for the Abu Dhabi GP and called for a change in the way the GP is run in 2024. He said qualifying “used to be the best moment of the three-day race and now it’s the worst.”
On the occasion of the second free practice session in Yas Marina – for the 22nd and final race of the Formula 1 Championship this year – in which Max Verstappen passed the two Mercedes on the way out of the pits, the sports stewards also prohibited this possibility that the drivers can secure a more favorable track position for their fast lap during qualifying tests.
According to Alonso, this means added complexity for drivers, who are forced to wait at the exit of the pits on time and then struggle to find fresh air on their fast laps – free from a car in close proximity in front of them – and within the Route limits remain so that your times are not deleted.
The Spaniard, who has experienced many different qualifying test structures in Formula 1 since 2001, said the current one is now the worst: “The qualification structure is now outdated. This was the best moment of the three days as the cars showed their full potential.
We are driving these very fast cars and now this is the worst moment of the three days. For the teams, for the drivers, for traffic management, for the limits of the track. You go to the marshal because you didn’t respect the time limit in the lap, because you hindered other drivers, laps are deleted. We are all glad that it is over and that it shouldn’t be like this from now on.added the Aston Martin F1 driver.
After the major fiasco of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP with Michael Massi, the FIA, under the leadership of its new president Mihamed bin Sulayem, has become significantly stricter in its strict adherence to the regulations. But Alonso’s voice joins those calling for a change to the qualifying structure from 2024 – along with changes to the structure and running of the sprint races.
As for today’s race (26/11) in Abu Dhabi, after finishing 7th in qualifying, Fernando Alonso is not optimistic that Aston Martin can beat McLaren for 4th place in the constructors’ championship in the final race of the year. After all, McLaren has an 11-point lead in this battle.
“I think tires wear out much more in combat than when driving with fresh air in front of you.explained Alonso. “However, with the differences we have now, it’s not a breath of fresh air. “So I think it’s going to be a very big game for us.
Obviously that is McLaren it is our only goal. Both start ahead of us, so we need a bit of chaos if we want to overtake them. In a normal race they will finish before us and that is not good enough for us.”concluded the 42-year-old.
Source: sport 24
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