According to Fernando Alonso, it is unacceptable that his press officer could drive through La Monumental faster than Max Verstappen: ‘We can’t wait until 2031’
“We can’t wait until 2031 to have a proper sport again,” says Fernando Alonso, renewing his criticism of the current Formula 1 regulations, which, in his view, take too much of the driving challenge away. According to him, the new circuit in Madrid offers a number of unique features which, however, are not being utilised at all with the current cars.
“In a way, it’s a shame to be coming to such a fantastic circuit as this with this generation of cars,” says the Aston Martin driver. He singles out in particular the sequence of corners 10 to 12 around the impressive “La Monumental” and describes the problems using a specific driving analogy.
“ “The driver’s influence is limited to the fact that even Michael could drive through 10–12,” he says, gesturing to his press officer Michael Clayton standing next to him, because without draining the battery, you can simply keep the throttle wide open.
“At some point, the electric power kicks in, and you’re quick out of the corners. But in Formula 1, or in motorsport in general, that’s how it should work in turns 10–12: if Michael is braver than me, he’s faster. If I have the better driving skills, I’m faster than him,” says Alonso. “That’s how qualifying should look.”
” But now it’s all about how much SoC I have – that determines whether I drive faster or slower,” he criticises.
Verstappen can’t make the difference
“It can’t be that Michael is faster than Max Verstappen just because he has more battery power,” he emphasises. “Because 10–12 is such an incredible stretch of corners. It really has to be Max Verstappen who makes the difference compared to Michael. And at the moment, that’s simply not possible.”
Alonso himself is keen to change this situation and is therefore speaking to Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali every week. “Because Formula 1 cannot carry on like this,” he makes clear. “We cannot wait until 2031 to have a proper sport again.”
“So I also see it as my responsibility to use my experience to help them do everything in our power to change things like what happens in turns 10–12.”
Alonso fails to make it through Q1 again
But Alonso’s own racing situation is also anything but satisfactory for the two-time world champion in Madrid. Finishing 18th, he once again failed to make it through to Q2 and was only faster than the two Cadillacs, even though he missed out on qualifying ahead of Williams by less than a tenth of a second.
‘I’ve got a very clear idea in my mind’ of where he would lose the necessary time. Once again, it was the straights that cost the Aston Martin and Honda package the most time. “But that’s just how it is at the moment,” he laments. “It’s obviously disappointing to be knocked out in Q1 yet again, even with a good lap on a street circuit.”
“Looking back at Zandvoort: That was our strongest weekend, when we finished ninth on Sunday. We were 20th in qualifying and, I think, half a second behind Williams. So the fact that we’re now only a tenth behind despite our deficit on the straights means we were very quick through the corners.”
