Fernando Alonso Reveals Mystery of No Safety Car in Formula 1
Fernando Alonso: "We are no longer driving at 100%"
Formula 1 Alonso SC – Fernando Alonso has offered an explanation for the prolonged absence of the Safety Car in the last nine Formula 1 races. According to the Aston Martin driver, the main reason is that drivers are not pushing their cars to their limits. Alonso claims that, in some cases, driving at 90% of performance allows you to be quicker than pushing the car to its maximum potential.
The last Safety Car deployment in a Formula 1 race was at the Canadian Grand Prix, when Logan Sargeant spun and Carlos Sainz made contact with Alex Albon. Since then, Safety Car driver Bernd Mayländer has only deployed during red flags during practice and qualifying sessions, marking the longest absence of the safety vehicle since the 2003/2004 season.
Alonso and the problem of the cars' potential
Alonso explained that although Formula 1 cars are difficult to drive, paradoxically the biggest problem is getting the most out of them. “If you drive at 90%, sometimes you are faster, because you don’t put the car’s platform at an awkward angle or mess with the ride height,” he said. “When you push to the limit, that’s when everything starts to fall apart.”
The Spanish champion also highlighted how the unpredictability of modern single-seaters makes it difficult for drivers to understand sudden improvements or declines in performance. He cited the example of Baku, where he managed to improve his qualifying time by more than a second without changing his driving style. “In Q1 I was P15, but a few minutes later, with a different set of tyres, I was P5 in Q2. I was driving the same way.”
Slow pace that helps reduce SC
Finally, Alonso noted that during races, cars are not designed to be pushed beyond their limits. “We all drive at 90%, we have to manage the tyres, the fuel consumption, and all of this means that there are not many problems or accidents, and therefore not even Safety Cars.” With this analysis, Alonso argues that the nature of modern single-seaters, combined with a more conservative driving style, has led to a decrease in accidents and interruptions during races.
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