Alonso issues blunt verdict on circuits ‘killed’ by ‘semi-embarrassing’ F1 rules
· Yahoo Sports
Fernando Alonso has reiterated his criticism of the current regulations, pointing out that Formula 1 has become the only sport where, paradoxically, you have to go slower to go faster, while also highlighting how some circuits have been ‘killed’ by the current rules.
Ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Alonso once again raised concerns about the impact of Formula 1’s current regulations on the way the cars are driven and the racing they produce.
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The Aston Martin driver explained that drivers spend their careers in junior categories developing an instinct to attack corners, carry speed and take risks, only to reach F1 and discover that they sometimes have to change that approach completely. In his view, F1 is unique in motorsport because drivers can paradoxically be faster by driving more slowly.
Alonso delivers fresh criticism of F1 rules ahead of Baku weekend
“We all come from junior formulas, from karting on F3, F2, that we drive within this driver instinct, to go fast, attacking the corners and taking some risk. And then you get to F1, and you need to rewind a little bit what you learned in the last twenty years of your career, and then you need to drive a different different method. That is only happening in F1. There’s no series in motorsport that you need to drive slow to go fast.”
Photo: Race PicturesPhoto: Race Pictures
Alonso also reflected on the contrasting performances across the circuits this season. While he pointed to some weekends in Monaco and Budapest as positive examples, he argued that other venues have been negatively affected by the characteristics of the current regulations.
Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and Suzuka were among the circuits he highlighted, with the Spaniard suggesting that their racing experience has suffered under the current rules.
“This this year has been some good races and bad races, and I think we need to learn from those. I think it was maybe Monaco, Budapest. We had some good races, and then we had very bad races. Silverstone, an incredible circuit, it’s not fun anymore. We had the Spa that was semi-embarrassing to go through Eau Rouge. Suzuka, the 130R.”
The two-time World Champion stressed that these observations are not new and form part of an ongoing discussion he has had throughout the season.
Alonso believes there is still an opportunity to learn from this year’s experiences and use those lessons to improve the sport for next season, with the subject continuing to feature in his conversations with Stefano Domenicali and Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
“There were some circuits that were killed this year. So I think, within the learnings from this year, there’s still maybe some scope, to learn from those and have better sport next year. Those were my comments in Madrid, my comments in Australia, my comments in Barcelona, and every single race. And that’s my conversation that is ongoing with Stefano (Domenicali) or Mohammed (Ben Sulayem).”