One of the keys to analyze this start to the Formula 1 season in terms of Fernando Alonso is concerned is the work you are doing to understand the tires. He himself admitted before Spanish GP that his adaptation is being different from what many expected, in part, due to his own fault: had ‘got used to bad’ to the fans with so many category changes in these two and a half years.
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However, in this Formula 1 in which each year the tires are the real judges of the performance of each car, it is difficult to understand them. The very little preseason has forced each training session to become an accelerated workday for the Asturian, which makes Alonso use a work plan different from the rest.
It was already seen in Portimao and it was confirmed in the first free practice at Montmeló: while almost everyone tried hard compounds at the beginning and soft at the end (not at Ferrari), when they achieved their best laps, he gave his best lap in the first bars of the hour. of rehearsals and then dedicate the rest of the session with the hard ones.
The session restarts with under 10 minutes left on the clock. Esteban heads out with Softs fitted, Fernando is on the Hard tires. #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/7xg7ysrJ6L
– Alpine F1 Team (@ AlpineF1Team) May 7, 2021
It is not a minor matter. The hard compound can be decisive for the pace of the race on Sunday, where Alonso will try to repeat the good feelings of Portugal and re-score. To a large extent that will depend on the fact that there are no problems in the classification, so the second tests on Friday and those on Saturday before the final batch will be key.
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The doubts it generates Alpine They were confirmed with the final result of the first batch. Esteban OconDespite going on a fast lap, he could only be 12th, three places above Alonso who was 15th. The Frenchman did a different program than his partner, although the Spanish has the main objective of finishing his recovery.
Alonso was not the only one not to go out on a lap in the closing stages of the first round. Also Carlos Sainz Y Charles Leclerc They rode down the stretch on the medium tires, which are the ones they need to understand better (the ‘graining’ of Portimao still resonates) to use in Q2 and start the race with them.