Alonso criticizes tire format in Monza: We don't have tires!

2023-09-01 16:41:15
6:41 p.m

Alonso criticizes format: We don’t have tires!

The tire format that will be used in Monza this weekend was not well received by the drivers in Hungary. And at least with Fernando Alonso nothing has changed.

You can hardly drive laps “because we don’t have a set of tires for training,” the Spaniard shrugs his shoulders and explains: “We apologize to all the fans for coming on Friday and not seeing any cars.”

Because the problem is the same for everyone. He therefore does not have much information and can only guess what it will look like tomorrow. In any case, he suspects that qualifying will be “very close”.

“There are only six corners at Monza, so everyone from P6 to maybe P16 is within two or three tenths, so we have to make sure we’re in the top part of that group,” said Alonso.

6:50 p.m

Verstappen: The result doesn’t mean much

When asked if Ferrari is the biggest opponent after today’s best time, the world champion replies: “We have to wait until everyone revs up their engines.” His own time was not representative anyway.

He reports: “In the short run I got blocked a bit in sector two and in the long run we didn’t do many laps. So you don’t get a good impression, but at the end of the day it’s the same for everyone on the long run.”

“We tried different wing levels and I think we still have to analyze which way we want to go,” he reveals and admits: “It could have been a little better from my side.”

“But I’m pretty confident that we’ll be able to do it,” said Verstappen.

6:33 p.m

What was going on with Perez?

The Mexican has since commented on his crash and said he simply had understeer. He thought he still had the situation “under control,” he reports.

“But then I got on the gravel a bit and that was it,” said Perez. After all, the damage is only “small,” he explains. And because the crash happened at the very end, you didn’t lose a lot of time.

The positive thing is that the car is performing well and he has a good feeling. “I think we’re in a good position for the rest of the weekend,” said Perez, who spoke of a “very strong” Friday.

The crash doesn’t change that.

6:21 p.m

Why Aston Martin needs new pit stop equipment

At Zandvoort there was an interesting innovation under the rear crash structure of the AMR23. The designers had figured out a way to use a small, fly-like wing that worked in conjunction with modifications to the diffuser’s surface.

While Aston Martin did not ultimately use the part in the race, its introduction should not be taken lightly – the team clearly went to the trouble of fitting the part to the car, so there must be a use for it too.

Nothing shows this more clearly than the fact that Aston Martin had to redesign their pit equipment to accommodate the introduction of the winglet. A revision of the rear jack was discovered in the Zandvoort pit lane.

You can read all the background information here!

6:16 p.m

Penalty for Verstappen

The Dutchman was just flashed in FT2 at 84.8 km/h in the pit lane. Only 80 are allowed in training, which means a fine of 500 euros, which the team pays.

On Sunday, such an offense (from a sporting point of view) would be significantly more expensive because, as is well known, there is a time penalty for driving too fast in the pit lane.

Can Verstappen ask his team-mate…

6:11 p.m

What was going on at Stroll?

Team boss Mike Krack is solving that Sky on. The suspicion that it was the fuel system was confirmed. We will now try to fix the problem for tomorrow.

Not ideal for Stroll, of course, who already had to skip FT1. Krack is self-critical and explains that there have been a few too many incidents of this type recently.

Aston Martin needs to get better collectively.

6:04 p.m

McLaren with new low downforce wings in Italy

McLaren starts at Monza with a whole host of changes designed to allow better top speed on the long straights. Because in Spa before the summer break, the MCL60 was far too slow on the straights.

McLaren is therefore keen to avoid a repeat at Monza, where the percentage of full throttle is even higher and aerodynamic efficiency is therefore even more important.

However, rather than develop an all-new Monza package, the Woking team opted to make significant changes to the previous lower-downforce car in order to have a competitive package for the long straights.

You can read all the background information here!

6:00 p.m

FT2: Closing time!

The session was released again briefly, but in the end – as is usual in FT2 – there were no more fast laps. So the best time goes to Sainz in front of Norris, Perez, Piastri, Verstappen and Leclerc, nothing has changed there.

Here in the ticker, as announced, we continue with the votes for Friday. But first, here is the overview:

Report FT2

Result FT2

Overall result Friday

Photos: F1: Italian Grand Prix (Monza) 2023

5:41 p.m

FT2: Ferrari in front

Running the last 20 minutes, Sainz leads with a 1:21.355. Ferrari fans love it! Behind are Norris, Perez, Piastri and Verstappen, who is only fifth ahead of Leclerc.

But: The world champion also had heavy traffic on his lap – like some other drivers. The times should therefore continue to be enjoyed with great caution.