In recent years, Formula 1 has received a lot of interest from venues that have very often been cities that want cars to race on their streets, that is, in urban circuits. For this reason, some traditional routes have recently disappeared from the calendar, while there are others that are under pressure year after year with their continuity always at stake.
After the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which was the eighth race of the season that was held on a street circuit in 2023, Fernando Alonso asked Formula 1 to find a balance between urban and traditional circuits and explained why current cars are not made to race on street tracks.
“We need a good balance,” he said. “This week, all the drivers have said that it is not very fun to drive on these types of circuits, with speeds of about 360 kilometers per hour, no grip, no visibility, hellish potholes and things like that.”
“I know it may look good from the outside, but these cars are not made to go through corners at 80 kilometers per hour. These cars are made to drive at Suzuka, Barcelona, Silverstone and get their full potential.”
“So we have to find a balance in the championship and in the calendar. We also need to maintain some traditional races, where the F1 cars can shine,” added the Spanish two-time Formula 1 world champion.
Speaking about the Las Vegas street circuit, Alonso said that “it was good”, but that some details would have made it even better: “The only thing was the grip level, which was too low. I know it’s the same for everyone, but On an urban circuit sometimes you have to take into account the extra factor of danger“.
As an example, the Aston Martin driver cited the Lando Norris accident. The Briton suddenly lost control of his car and hit the wall hard. After a visit to the hospital, it was found that he was fine and he was discharged, but the incident worried his grill colleagues.
In fact, team boss Andrea Stella explained that this accident was due to his tires being too cold and a pothole in the middle of the track, so Lando Norris simply went over it and lost control: ” “I don’t know if it was alone or with someone else, but it felt like we were driving on a half-dry/half-wet track. On a street circuit, that’s a little strange. There was a bump, it was low temperature and that was it.”
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team
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