Fernando Alonso was eliminated at the first hurdle in the Qualifying for the Spanish GP in Madring, starting 18th in this Sunday’s race and did not hide his disappointment with the current model governing Formula 1, that of cars where energy and battery are as important, or more, than everything else. “It’s sad to arrive at such a beautiful circuit like this, with challenges here and there, with this generation of cars. You have La Monumental or the section from turn 10 to 12, and the feeling is that Michael (his press officer) could drive here, because you go flat out without deploying energy and then it deploys and you go fast on the exits,” criticized the Asturian.
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The Spaniard recalled how Formula 1 used to be when he knew it. “In Formula 1, or motorsport in general, it should be decided in that section of corners. If Michael is braver than me, he will be faster. If I have more quality, I will be faster. That’s how qualifying should be. But now it only depends on how much battery you have, because depending on that you will go faster or slower,” he reflected.
Alonso, however, praised Madring: “The circuit is good and it’s a great challenge. I think tomorrow, at the end of the race, we will be better prepared to give an opinion because we will have accumulated more laps,” but he insisted that he prefers “normal circuits”.
“On the normal ones you take the car to the limit, to 200%, while here on an urban track you go at 95% because the track keeps surprising you,” he said, and thanked the support of the public: “Madrid is one of the best cities in the world and the fans have been incredible. I was surprised to see the stands full of Aston Martin fans, or the stands dyed green or with Spanish and Asturian flags. They know we are not competitive, but they keep coming full of energy and optimism. Thank you.”
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