Fernando Alonso defends one stop strategy at the Canadian GP – Formula 1 news
Fernando Alonso says that he does not regret going for the win at Montreal.
Alonso opted for a one stop strategy at the Canadian Grand Prix which failed the Spaniard who could have settled for a second place finish had he stopped for a new set of tyres.
Alonso was praised for his tyre management when he led the race as Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton made stops for a compound change. Both driver were able to overtake Alonso who finished the race placed 5th behind the winner Hamilton, Romain Grosjean
at second, Sergio Perez at third and Vettel at fourth.
The Canadian GP showed just how important the tyre strategies are in the season as most driver failed to make the right strategy for their car.
Alonso explained that the last laps were very long and the tyres degraded much quicker than he thought they would and the degradation slowed him down drastically. He was not able to defend his position from the car coming up behind him due to the wear out
of the tyres.
He defended the strategy by saying that it did allow the team to get the lead on Vettel in the first place. The car was competitive enough throughout the race and the gamble did not pay off as well as the team hoped.
Tyre degradation is something the team will work on to improve in that area, but it is a complex area as many factors can affect it behaviour. Even a degree or two in temperature rise can change the nature of the wear out.
He said, “It is not a tyre world championship, but every detail must be studied to aim for victory. For the first time this year, we have not just been trying to limit the damage, in that we were actually aiming for the win. It's a positive sign and now
we must confirm it at Valencia and Silverstone. We are definitely returning home with more confidence in our chances, because this was the most significant step forward we have made in terms of car development for a long time.”
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