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Alonso: Rules shake-up shows F1 went the wrong way
Fernando Alonso says that the Strategy Group's decision to propose a Formula 1 overhaul for 2017 suggests the sport has been heading in the wrong direction in recent years.
Jonathan Noble
Edited: May 20, 2015, 4:48 PM
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F1's chiefs agreed last week that they will evaluate plans to make cars up to six seconds per lap quicker as part of an effort to make grand prix racing more exciting.
Alonso believes that if those changes come to pass, it will show that F1 has lost its way in recent years with high-degrading tyres and fuel management a key part of the racing.
"I think if the [rule changes happen] then we will get some kind of rules of seven or eight years ago, which means that the last four or five years we were going in the wrong direction," he explained ahead of the Monaco GP.
When asked if he felt F1 had been heading the wrong way, he said: "I think the grandstands tell us..."
Drivers unchallenged
Alonso thinks that you have to go back a full decade for him to remember a time when F1 cars were last truly challenging in a physical and mental way.
"The cars were eight seconds quicker," he explained. "In Malaysia this year, the engineers made a calculation that the winner of Malaysia this year compared to the winner of Malaysia in 2006 could be six laps slower - so it [would have] been lapped six times.
"So when you are six or seven minutes in a race, or eight seconds per laps quicker than this year's car, that is very demanding physically and mentally.
"Everything was pushed to the limit."
Refuelling a positive
While the potential return of refuelling has divided opinion among fans, Alonso thinks it could help in further spicing up the excitement.
"Probably it will open some kind of a strategy imagination that could help you in some of the races," he said.
"If you can choose whatever fuel you will start or do the first stint, things like that have helped in the past.
"I remember to get some pole positions in 2003, with half of the fuel of the others, and in the race you see what happens.
"But the first 10 laps of the race, you are leading the group and it may rain, it may have a safety car, many things can happen that could change the weekend.
"If not, if you give me paper now I will give you the grid order of here, Canada and Austria and I will miss one or two positions. This is what the fans are not welcoming now."
Read Also:
- Massa warns against too much downforce in 2017 rules
- Perez welcomes 2017 rule change plans
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