Alonso’s explanations about the absence of the safety car

Nine races without a safety car, a first since 2003. This seems to be an anomaly, especially on circuits where its intervention was the norm until now, such as in Singapore. Only the virtual safety car intervened in Baku. This phenomenon does not surprise Fernando Alonso, who believes that drivers do not need to push their cars to the limit to get the best out of them, which encourages them to take fewer risks.

During a quick lap, it is preferable to push the car to its limits, but the behavior during the race is different, especially in terms of paying attention to the tires or fuel economy. The former Alpine driver believes that the single-seaters of this season, more than those of previous seasons, require special management, making them happier. As a result, drivers take fewer risks, which reduces the number of accidents and, consequently, the intervention of the safety car.

Difficult-to-explain performances

The Aston Martin driver takes the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as an example to illustrate performance fluctuations on track. « I was P15 in Q1, with Lando’s problem. Otherwise, I started from 16th in the Grand Prix and I wasn’t in Q1. Seven minutes later, I put on another set of tires and I was P5 in Q2. I gained 1.1 seconds. I was driving the same way. »

Without changing his way of driving, the Spaniard has therefore made considerable progress without understanding why. « Sometimes, we do not find explanations for the moments when we are fast, and those when we are slow,” he says.

Indications may emerge from conducting in-depth analyses. « If you go into the details and the unlimited number of sensors we have in the car, we can spot the small differences when the car is slow,” says Alonso. However, during the race, it is sometimes better to be gentler with the car so that it performs better in the long term, or to use the best strategy possible.

Single-seaters faster when being gentle with them?

A smoother driving experience is not however synonymous with poorer performance. These cars are not easy to drive, but I think the issue with these cars is also in extracting 100% of their potential, said the double world champion.

He continues: « If you drive at 90%, you are sometimes faster because you do not put the platform in an awkward angle or you do not have unsuitable driving height. You do not push the limits, and that’s when everything collapses. Sometimes driving at 90% is therefore faster. » The question now is whether this trend will continue in the last six Grand Prix.

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