The dash format means the groups have just one apply session to get their vehicles prepared earlier than the opening dash qualifying and race motion, which suggests deploying uncommon FP1 run plans in comparison with customary race occasions.
In FP1 in China final week – the primary dash weekend of the 2024 season – Alonso’s Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll topped a session the place the groups focused on lengthy runs earlier than unleashing a sequence of qualifying simulations late on.
The tyre allocation for dash occasions is diminished by one set total from 13 to 12, with the cut up going from two units of the hards, three units of the mediums and eight units of softs, to 4 mediums and 6 softs plus the same old two hards.
Alonso stated after the principle race in Shanghai that “I believe extra tyres shall be good as a result of in FP1 it’s a sport of who can run much less and who makes use of much less units of tyres” earlier than occurring to lambast the penalty he obtained for clashing with Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz within the first race final weekend.
“So, it’s a disgrace for the followers,” he added. “After which the dash, if they need it for the present and for overtaking and you do not allow them to race, it’s higher to not race.”
Alonso additionally stated subsequent weekend’s Miami dash weekend shall be “one other one the place the tyres shall be unknown”.
He continued: “So ideally, you wouldn’t run in FP1 to maintain all of the tyres alive and you do not run the dash race to avoid wasting penalty factors in your license.
“Clearly, we is not going to try this as a result of we have to be taught one thing from the automobile in Miami. However we have to nonetheless assume, the dash wants additional tuning.”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Workforce, within the storage
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Mercedes driver George Russell stated he “loved” the tweaked dash format for 2024, with parc ferme being opened post-sprint race forward of GP qualifying to permit groups to make set-up changes, however agreed with Alonso on the concept of accelerating the tyre allocation.
“I get pleasure from this format,” stated Russell. “I believe perhaps the one factor that might be higher is to alter the tyre rule for apply.
“Possibly giving everyone the identical set of tyres or variety of tyres in apply as a result of it should not be influencing the remainder of your weekend based mostly on what you do in apply.
“In order that’d be my solely thought, in any other case, I used to be fairly pleased with it.”
In the one two FP1 periods beforehand held in 2024 that didn’t function a red-flag interruption – Bahrain, the place the groups had simply accomplished a take a look at and should take care of essentially the most abrasive monitor floor of the 12 months, and Jeddah – the whole variety of laps logged was 422 and 471 respectively.
In China, the whole was 453 – regardless of time being misplaced as a result of stoppage following the weekend’s first weird trackside grass fireplace.
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