Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso apparently wants to scrap free practice from F1 race weekends altogether, amid concerns some drivers lack practice time for the restarted Chinese Grand Prix. .
F1 is preparing to return to the Shanghai International Circuit for the first time in five years, where a revised F1 sprint format was unveiled for the first time, with changes to qualifying and grand prix now taking place after sprint action is complete.
Fernando Alonso wants to not practice at all
The customary one-hour FP1 session will still take place as part of the modified sprint format, but this will leave the likes of Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz concerned they won’t have time to tackle the Shanghai race. I exclaimed. Circuit again. So if just an hour of practice makes them worried, they’ll really hate the idea of Alonso.
Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa says Alonso has proposed a different new F1 race weekend format and, if he gets his way, could qualify without any preparatory free practice. He said he was planning to go straight there.
“What Fernando actually wants is to go straight into qualifying,” de la Rosa revealed on the F1 Nation podcast.
“He mentioned it sometimes. He doesn’t need to warm up, he doesn’t need another set of tires to go faster, it just bangs, first lap, that’s it, that’s what he will be the fastest all weekend, because he doesn’t need to warm up and gain speed.
“But I think it’s good. [the Sprint format]It’s good that drivers don’t have much time to adapt, change car setups or learn track tricks. So I think the sprint format always makes the best drivers shine even more.
“The reality is that the best cars always shine, but sometimes the best drivers don’t get that chance. Because by the time you get to Q3, for example, all the drivers really have to find new tires. This is because I wear about 8 or 9 sets of “Limit.” That’s the biggest difference. ”
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1996 World Champion Damon Hill also picked up on Alonso as a driver to watch, recognizing the sense of “opportunity” for drivers who aren’t usually given the chance to shine.
“I think there’s an opportunity any time this format flips,” Hill said. “I feel like when it rains, I have more chances.
“It’s not good for me to be in front, because I want to maintain my position, I want to protect it, I want everything to be equal, because I know that then I will be faster.
“But if you have uncertainty, I think it’s a great opportunity for normal people…people like Fernando, I think he would love it.”
Along with Lewis Hamilton, Alonso is the only active driver to have won the Chinese Grand Prix more than once, winning in 2005 and 2013.
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