Nov.27 - Fernando Alonso has issued a scathing assessment about Formula 1's three-part current qualifying format.
When the Aston Martin driver won his titles for Renault almost two decades ago, the sport had moved from a traditional 60-minute, 12-lap format to one-by-one single-lap qualifying.
Both were formats that Alonso, now 42, enjoyed, but he now thinks that with the way Formula 1 has evolved since the current 'knockout'-style qualifying was introduced, the format has become totally "obsolete".
In Abu Dhabi for the 2023 season finale, he said qualifying is now excessively affected by track limits, minimum times for warm-up laps, and slow-moving traffic requiring a new flow of subsidiary rules.
"This format of qualifying is obsolete," Alonso is quoted by the Spanish sports newspaper AS. "We cannot have this kind of stress.
"What used to be the best session of the weekend, when the cars are most alive, is now the worst session for everyone," he insisted.
"Track limits, traffic, impeding, deleted laps, on and on. We are all happy when it is over now and it shouldn't be like that."
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He's said that before, so nothing new.
Perhaps. But his points are valid - Qualifying is a gong-show. It's a miracle no-one has been injured or maimed. Time for FIA to review the regulatory burden as well - there was never a laser-like focus on track limits. Who cares anyway? If you're driving on the verge, you aren't going to be fastest anyway. And pit-lane infractions when a member of the pit-crew aren't wearing a certain piece of PPE - I mean honestly, that is giving Scrutineer's much more power than they need or deserve.
I'm a member of the "less-is-more" camp. Look after the basics, but after that, get out of the way and let them race. This Euro-centric, autocratic, four-flushing, fart-smelling tin-pot dictator action is ruining F1. FFS.
The problem is not the format we had this since 2006 and only since about 2019 have we had many drivers blocking it's the driver who need to sought it out but the stewards need to be stricter
Tyres are the big problem Imo, and the rules they have around them , including how many sets etc, why do they burn the tyres afterwards , surely they can recycle , if its the environment they want to look after
They recycle or reuse the same sets at least in Europe.
i think they crush them into pellets and burn them in Europe
They should have the same qualifying as they do in Australia where each car has two laps to set their time, no traffic all given the same opportunity to set their time, it works well check out the Bathurst
1000
thats like the old 1hr and 12 laps that they had in f1, and what was wrong with that? correct nothing id say