Fernando Alonso has renewed his critique of Formula 1’s weekend format, highlighting its flaws after a lackluster sprint race in Qatar.
The sprint race in Qatar was particularly unexciting, with many blaming the series of fast corners that make overtaking very difficult.
“It’s hard to overtake on this circuit,” said the F1 veteran, who drives for Aston Martin, after the sprint race.
“But I think the format doesn’t help much more than the circuit itself. With a qualifying session featuring Q1, Q2, and Q3, the best drivers will always start at the front and finish at the front.”
“We started 11th and finished 11th. In my opinion, the format needs to change.”
Alonso has repeatedly made it clear in the past that he would prefer Formula 1 to return to single-lap qualifying, which was scrapped due to unpopularity among fans.
“Well, if you don’t want to do a reverse grid, which I assume the top teams wouldn’t want, or if you don’t want to make the qualifying format more interesting—maybe a single lap—then the teams behind won’t have many opportunities. Especially on these Saturdays, all we see is a repeat of the opening laps of Sunday’s Grand Prix.”
“This has already happened on all circuits—only Brazil had a sprint with more position changes, and that’s because there’s more degradation there and more things happen.”
Alonso anticipates another uneventful race this Sunday in Qatar.
“I think it will be similar, with one pit stop for everyone. But instead of 40 minutes, it will be an hour and a half. So, I recommend that anyone planning to watch the race might prepare something to eat at the same time.”
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Alonso: The qualifying format must change Alonso: The qualifying format must change
